Re: [xsl] Patterns usage in XSLT template rules

Subject: Re: [xsl] Patterns usage in XSLT template rules
From: Wendell Piez <wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 12:33:44 -0400
Hi,

At 08:40 AM 5/2/2005, Bruce wrote:
On 5/2/05, Ramkumar Menon <ramkumar.menon@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I run into a compilation error while using this stylesheet..
>
>   <xsl:template match="(/)">
>     <o1:NeverPrints/>
>   </xsl:template>

It should be just "/", in the same way that it's "foo" not "(foo)".

The reason for this is that match patterns cannot contain just any arbitrary XPath expression: they have their own grammar, which doesn't include matching on elements grouped with the "( )" operator.


You couldn't say match="2 + 1" either, since although "2+1" is valid XPath (it returns the number 3), it doesn't match the grammar for patterns. But you could say apply-templates select="(/)" and be okay -- since apply-templates' "select" takes any XPath (as long as, in this case, it returns a node-set), not just a pattern.

Learning the restrictions on patterns (you can't say match="preceding-sibling::*" either) and understanding the reason for them (back to the processing model) is part of a full understanding of XSLT.

Cheers,
Wendell


====================================================================== Wendell Piez mailto:wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Mulberry Technologies, Inc. http://www.mulberrytech.com 17 West Jefferson Street Direct Phone: 301/315-9635 Suite 207 Phone: 301/315-9631 Rockville, MD 20850 Fax: 301/315-8285 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mulberry Technologies: A Consultancy Specializing in SGML and XML ======================================================================

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