Re: [xsl] "mode" not working as expected

["G. Ken Holman" <gkholman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 2010-07-08 10:34 -0700, Dick Penny wrote:
> I get the expected output displayed from variable $step1out with the XSLT
> below(with the two ???? obiviously deleted). However, when I replace the two
> ???? with mode="abc" my template that generates the attribute xx never
> executes. Instead, I get six copies of the namespace agg in variable
> $step1out.

Not quite ... you are getting six copies of the <xmp> literal result 
element.  Each one has the agg namespace you attached to it.

> To my way of thinking, adding a mode simply further guarantees
> execution of this template.

But you've cut out one of the other templates by going into the 
mode.  When not in the mode you have one of your template rules that 
is in play that causes the difference.

> What is going on?

Your <xsl:apply-templates/> is pushing the element named "Rows".

Without the mode your match on "*" is copying the Rows element and 
pushing the children.

The child "Row" is then matched.  Thus the variable has one "Rows" 
and six "Row"
elements.  Your debug is showing the child elements of the element 
named "Rows", thus you see the six Row elements.

When you add the mode, your <xsl:apply-templates/> is still pushing 
"Rows" but it isn't being caught by your template rule that copies 
"Rows".  It is being caught by the built-in template rule that pushes 
the child "Row" elements without copying the "Rows" element.

So this time the variable has six "Row" elements but no "Rows" 
parent.  So when you then push the variable to the debug, you are 
pushing six "Row" elements, and your debug is exposing the children 
of "Row".  There are no children of "Row", so your six <xmp> elements are empty

> I cannot imagine what copied the namespace into $step1out.

Your <xmp> is a literal result element, and the agg namespace in your 
stylesheet document element is attached to <xmp> because you haven't 
pruned it with exclude-result-prefixes="agg".

> What fundamental idea am I missing?

For the six elements, that the built-in template rule doesn't copy 
the node, it only pushes the children.

For the namespaces, that literal result elements have namespace nodes 
just like elements in the input.

I hope this helps.

. . . . . . . . . . . Ken

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