It's great to write a book. I am these days fully immersed writing the chapter explaining the XSL that is used to render the search results in the different Search Web Parts such as the Search Core Results Web Part and the People Search Core Results Web Part. Sometimes you can't prevent a good laugh while, and that's quite sad, you are all alone in your hotel room cranking out words in Word 2007.

Take this one. In the Search Center, execute a people search and make sure they are sorted by social distance. Now replace the XSL with the following XSL to view the raw XML that will be transformed:

<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">   <xsl:output method="xml" version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" indent="yes"/>     <xsl:template match="/">       <xmp><xsl:copy-of select="*"/></xmp>     </xsl:template> </xsl:stylesheet>

Ok. What is the outcome? Well, this one:

<All_Results>     <DummyResult>       <Colleague />     </DummyResult>     <Result>       <id>9</id>       <accountname>LITWAREINC\PeterM</accountname>       <userprofile_guid>59C5FEB9-26F0-48AA-95E3-E3CBB826E849</userprofile_guid>       <preferredname>Peter Mullen</preferredname>       <jobtitle>Product Compete Manager</jobtitle>       <department></department>       <workphone>(425) 555-0144</workphone>       <officenumber>S1044</officenumber>       <aboutme></aboutme>       <pictureurl>http://moss:32901/personal/peterm/Shared Pictures/Profile  Pictures/PeterM.jpg</pictureurl>       <workemail>PeterM@litwareinc.com</workemail>       <website></website>       <url>http://moss:32901/Person.aspx?guid=59C5FEB9-26F0-48AA-95E3-E3CBB826E849</url> <urlEncoded>http%3A%2F%2Fmoss%3A32901%2FPerson%2Easpx%3Fguid%3D59C5FEB9%2D26F0%2D48AA%2D95E3%2DE3CBB826E849</urlEncoded>       <hithighlightedsummary>I assist our Product, Sales and <c0>Marketing</c0> teams by  providing actionable competitive insights.</hithighlightedsummary>       <hithighlightedproperties>         <HHTitle />         <HHUrl>http://moss:32901/Person.aspx?guid=59C5FEB9-26F0-48AA-95E3- 3CBB826E849</HHUrl>       </hithighlightedproperties>       <responsibility>Competitive Research</responsibility>       <skills>Orion;Neptune</skills>       <sipaddress></sipaddress>       <imageurl imageurldescription="File with extension:  spx">/_layouts/images/html16.gif</imageurl>       <Colleague />     </Result>     <DummyResult>       <ColleagueOfColleague />     </DummyResult>     <Result>       <id>1</id>       <accountname>LITWAREINC\DaveR</accountname>       <userprofile_guid>DA38BB36-8F42-4E65-A534-ACD6A955F156</userprofile_guid>       <preferredname>Dave Richards</preferredname>       <!-- remaining part is left out for brevity-->       <ColleagueOfColleague />     </Result>     <DummyResult>       <Everyone />     </DummyResult>     <Result>       <id>2</id>       <accountname>LITWAREINC\SanjayJ</accountname>       <userprofile_guid>19049F1B-B894-4671-BF8A-61C18FD9CABF</userprofile_guid>       <preferredname>Sanjay Jacob</preferredname>       <!-- remaining part is left out for brevity-->       <EveryOne />     </Result> </All_Results> 

Notice the DummyResult elements. Who came up with this element in the product team? I want to meet this guy!

If you can't laugh with it, don't mind! Maybe it is a sign that I need a trip to Antartica when I start having fun all alone in my room with things like this. Yes, two more days and I am done for the rest of the year.

Wait... MS Press people, Mr. Barker... I'll still work, but no more teaching :).

Have fun folks!