To function correctly Xelog needs to be able to access the core engine and the views. In theory they could be located separately, but currently views needs to import
xelog.xsl core file. That means view transformation needs to have either relative (to the view XSL file) or absolute path to the Xelog. For now it's easier to keep both views and core together. In the future I want to make this more flexible, so that you could host your own views, but use core hosted on our server.
Xelog starts when change log XML file is opened in the browser. XML file points to the transformation the browser should use to display the file through
processing instruction.
view.xsl needs to reference core
xelog.xsl which will provide most of the functionality needed to show the view.
href attribute can point to the view located anywhere, even on remote servers. With such configuration the client browser will download your XML file from your server, but will fetch transformations from another server. This creates two possibilities: host Xelog on your own or use it directly from our server.
If you want to publish Xelog file on your website you will have to install Xelog on your host.
Edit Using Xelog on our server
This is the simplest way to use Xelog. You don't need to install anything. You just have to
Create log file and reference any of the views provided on our server (such as
http://www.emeraldhand.com/xelog/views/htmlTable/view.xsl) and you're done.
Edit Pros
This is very simple to setup. You can use template and be done in minutes. You automatically benefit from all updates and new views. So there's minimal maintenance involved. Just update the change log and display it.
Edit Cons
The file can be opened only from a local machine. You can't publish it on your website because it is referencing pages from a different domain. In general this isn't allowed due to the security concerns.
You also give up control. If a new update breaks something, you won't be able to roll back (I hope I will be able to catch it and fix it, but you rely on me to do that). If the schema changes, your change log might not show up correctly until you update it. I hope to minimize such changes, but they might be inevitable (at least initially). I probably will implement notification system and host new and old version next to each other to give you time to update your change log.
It's also impossible to provide custom views or styles at this moment. If you want to write your own view you have to host Xelog on your own server.
Edit Hosting Xelog
This scenario is more complicated and time consuming. Also, Xelog runs strictly on the client, so it doesn't need server-side support.
Edit Pros
You have full control over the platform. You can write your own views, create your own styles and refrain from updating to the new version until you are ready.
Edit Cons
Setup is more involved. You will need to download the project and upload it to your server. Xelog uses DojoToolkit so this can take a while. Whenever new update is released you will need to repeat the process.