Re: [xsl] [XPath 1.0] Why is .[A] illegal but self::node()[A] is legal?

[Michael Kay <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 07/08/2010 16:17, Costello, Roger L. wrote:
> Hi Folks,
>
> Why is this XPath 1.0 expression illegal:
>
>     .[A]
>
> whereas this XPath 1.0 expression is legal:
>
>     self::node()[A]
>
>
> Isn't '.' a shorthand for 'self::node()'?  Shouldn't I be able to interchange the two in any expression?
>
>    

I think the most likely explanation is that disallowing .[A] in XPath 
1.0 was an unintentional mistake, an unforseen consequence of the way 
the grammar rules were written. At any rate, I never encountered anyone 
who put forward a rationale for it, or who suggested that it was a 
deliberate design choice.

Michael Kay
Saxonica