RE: [xsl] counting the element number in a recursive tree

Subject: RE: [xsl] counting the element number in a recursive tree
From: "Michael Kay" <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2006 12:24:40 +0100
If position() returns even numbers, it's because you are counting text nodes
as well as elements. The answer is to count only the elements, which will
happen if you use <xsl:for-each select="*"> or <xsl:apply-templates
select="*"> rather than using select="node()".

Dividing position() by 2 is wrong, because the whitespace text nodes won't
always be there.

Alternatively, use xsl:number.

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mohsen Saboorian [mailto:mohsens@xxxxxxxxx] 
> Sent: 26 June 2006 12:06
> To: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [xsl] counting the element number in a recursive tree
> 
> Hi,
> I'm confused with counting the current element number with a 
> recursive xml structure. Here is a sample:
> <node>
>     <node>
>     </node>
>     <node>
>         <node>
>             <node>
>             </node>
>         </node>
>     </node>
>     <node>
>     </node>
> </node>
> 
> = = = = = = = = =
> Since position() returns even numbers (I think is counts also 
> #text elements), I used position div 2, but unfortunately 
> deeper nodes also have problems.
> 
> <xsl:template match="node">
>     <xsl:value-of select="position() div 2" />
> 
>     <xsl:apply-templates />
> </xsl:template>
> 
> What souled I do to find out the correct number of node I'm 
> currently on.
> 
> Thanks in advance.

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