RE: [xsl] xsl:variable

[Wendell Piez <wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 11:59 AM 3/6/2003, you wrote:
> I think this'll work, I've done something similar:
>
> <xsl:template match="category">
>         <xsl:variable name="iteration">
>                 <xsl:number />
>         </xsl:variable>
>         <xsl:value-of select="iteration" />
> </xsl:template>
>
> number will be incremented every time that template executed (at least it 
> works with MSXML 4).

Not really. Really, a number will be assigned based on the position of the 
counted node in the source tree. Unless it says otherwise, the node counted 
by an <xsl:number/> instruction is the current node (here the <category>). 
Here it works because the nodes are processed in (or as if they were in) 
document order.

To see what I mean and why it may matter, consider what should happen if 
the apply-templates that invokes this template sorts the nodes, as in:

<xsl:apply-templates select="category">
  <xsl:sort select="."/>
</xsl:apply-templates>

...and then try it and see...

(Nonetheless: using <xsl:number/> to assign a number is often a good way to 
achieve a goal for which you'd use a counter in another language: about 
that Craig is perfectly correct.)

Cheers,
Wendell


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Wendell Piez                            mailto:wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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