TapeTrack XML Stylesheet

TapeTrack XML Stylesheet

The TapeTrack XML Stylesheet file, normally named tapetrack.xslt, controls how TapeTrack billing XML is displayed in a web browser or compatible Desktop UI.

The stylesheet is used by TMSS10LogStatsProcess when producing TapeTrack billing XML.

The generated XML contains billing information such as:

Customer-ID.
Billing item code.
Item description.
Quantity.
Unit cost.
Total charge.

The stylesheet converts this XML data into a readable layout for review.

The stylesheet does not calculate charges, select a billing package, or change the underlying billing information. Billing calculations are performed by TMSS10LogStatsProcess using the Customer Description Map, Package Map and Billing Rules.

Purpose

The tapetrack.xslt stylesheet provides a consistent and readable presentation of TapeTrack billing XML.

The file can be used to:

Display billing XML as a formatted table.
Make billing output easier to review.
Display customer, item, quantity, rate and total values.
Apply consistent headings, colors and page formatting.
Improve the readability of billing information before it is submitted to QuickBooks.
Provide a presentation layer without changing the underlying XML data.

The stylesheet separates the presentation of billing information from its calculation.

Component	Purpose
Billing XML	Contains the calculated billing data.
`tapetrack.xslt`	Defines how the billing data is displayed.
Desktop UI or browser	Applies the stylesheet and displays the formatted billing information.

File Location

The tapetrack.xslt file can be stored in any directory accessible to the account running the billing process and the application displaying the XML. For ease of administration, it is recommended that the stylesheet is stored with the other approved billing configuration files.

Example Windows location:

C:\Program Files\TapeTrack\TapeTrack Framework Server\etc\billing\tapetrack.xslt

Example Linux location:

/etc/tapetrack/billing/tapetrack.xslt

The location of the stylesheet can be supplied to TMSS10LogStatsProcess using the -X argument. Omitting the -X argument when running TMSS10LogStatsProcess, the program will default to tapetrack.xslt.

File Format

The TapeTrack stylesheet is an XSLT file containing XML-formatted transformation instructions. The file normally uses the .xslt extension. A billing XML file references the stylesheet using an XML processing instruction.

Example:

In this example, the billing XML expects to find a stylesheet named tapetrack.xslt.

tapetrack.xslt

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<xsl:stylesheet xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform" version="1.0">
 
  <xsl:template match="/">
    <html>
      <head>
        <title>Sample Processed Statistics Style Sheet</title>
      </head>
      <body>
        <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="20" border="0">
          <thead>
            <th>Customer</th>
            <th>ItemCode</th>
            <th>Description</th>
            <th>Count</th>
            <th>Cost</th>
            <th>Total</th>
          </thead>
        <xsl:apply-templates select="tapetrack_data">
        </xsl:apply-templates>
        </table>
      </body>
    </html>
  </xsl:template>
 
  <xsl:template match="item">
    <tr>
      <td>
        <xsl:apply-templates select="customer">
        </xsl:apply-templates>
      </td>
      <td>
        <xsl:apply-templates select="itemcode">
        </xsl:apply-templates>
      </td>
      <td>
        <xsl:apply-templates select="description">
        </xsl:apply-templates>
      </td>
      <td align="right">
        <xsl:apply-templates select="count">
        </xsl:apply-templates>
      </td>
      <td align="right">$
        <xsl:apply-templates select="cost">
        </xsl:apply-templates>
      </td>
      <td align="right">$
        <xsl:apply-templates select="total">
        </xsl:apply-templates>
      </td>
    </tr>
  </xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>

The stylesheet reads each item element within tapetrack_data and displays its values as a table row.

Troubleshooting

Stylesheet Cannot Be Found

Confirm that:

The -X argument specifies the correct stylesheet.
The file is named tapetrack.xslt.
The XML stylesheet reference contains the correct path.
The XML and stylesheet were copied to the Desktop UI together.
A relative path is being resolved from the expected directory.
The billing process is not referencing an old stylesheet location.

Recommended Practices

Keep the stylesheet in a controlled billing configuration directory.
Use one approved stylesheet for each billing environment.
Do not maintain uncontrolled copies.
Keep the stylesheet compatible with the current billing XML structure.
Test stylesheet changes against representative billing XML.
Confirm that all billing items are displayed.
Do not use the stylesheet to alter billing values.
Retain the stylesheet used for each billing period.
Back up the stylesheet before making changes.
Restrict write access to authorized billing administrators.

Security

The tapetrack.xslt file does not normally contain passwords or authentication details.

However, an XSLT file controls how billing data is transformed and displayed. Unauthorized changes could hide billing items, display misleading information or redirect the presentation to unexpected content.

Access should therefore be restricted to:

TapeTrack administrators.
Authorized billing staff.
The service account that runs the billing process.
The account used by the Desktop UI.

The file should not be publicly accessible or stored in an unsecured shared directory.

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