RE: [xsl] How to create hyperlinks using XSL or XML files

["Michael Kay" <michael.h.kay@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> 
> How about doing it this way also:
> 
> <!--	Set a variable to hold the href link -->
> <xsl:variable name="href"><xsl:value-of select="@URL"></xsl:variable>
> 

Never do this! Write:

<xsl:variable name="href" select="@URL"/>

or perhaps:

<xsl:variable name="href" select="string(@URL)"/>

It's shorter, it's more efficient, and it's more likely to give you the
expected behaviour. For example

xsl:if test="$href"

in the first case will always return true, in the second case it tests
whether the URL attribute exists, in the third case it tests whether the
URL attribute exists and is non-empty.

I've been seeing more and more of this construct, and it's a bad habit.

Michael Kay
Software AG
home: Michael.H.Kay@xxxxxxxxxxxx
work: Michael.Kay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 


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