[xsl] Return text contents of most recent non-null sibling.

["Kerry, Richard" <richard.kerry@xxxxxxxx>]

I'm sure this should be straightforward but I can't seem to make it work ...

I have Xml corresponding to part of a spreadsheet, like this :

<sheet name="sheet-1" >
<row row="6">
<column column="1" cell="A6">Reference Present</column>
<column column="2" cell="B6">1,2</column>
<column column="3" cell="C6">1=missing</column>
</row>

<row row="7">
<column column="1" cell="A7"/>
<column column="2" cell="B7"/>
<column column="3" cell="C7">2=present</column>
</row>

<row row="8">
<column column="1" cell="A8">Reference Standard</column>
<column column="2" cell="B8">0-11</column>
<column column="3" cell="C8">0=missing</column>
</row>

<row row="9">
<column column="1" cell="A9"/>
<column column="2" cell="B9"/>
<column column="3" cell="C9">1=525</column>
</row>

<row row="10">
<column column="1" cell="A10"/>
<column column="2" cell="B10"/>
<column column="3" cell="C10">2=625</column>
</row>
</sheet>

The situation is that there are headings that I want to be repeating in my
result that aren't repeated in this source.  In particular the column 1 text,
which is only present in cells A6 and A8 here.

The result I want is as follows:

<result name="sheet-1" >
<item row="6" name="Reference Present" value="1=missing" />
<item row="7" name="Reference Present" value="2=present" />
<item row="8" name="Reference Standard" value="0=missing" />
<item row="9" name="Reference Standard" value="1=525" />
<item row="10" name="Reference Standard" value="2=625" />
</result>

The text from cell=A6 has been copied to the new item corresponding to row 7,
and that from cell=A8 copied to the items corresponding to rows 9 and 10.

At the moment I've got the following template in my stylesheet :

<xsl:template match="row">
<xsl:choose>
<xsl:when test="column[1]/text()" >
<test heading="{column[1]}" type="present" value="{column[3]}" />
</xsl:when>
<xsl:otherwise>
<test heading="{preceding-sibling::node()[column[1]][1]/column[1]}"
type="absent" value="{column[3]}" />
</xsl:otherwise>
</xsl:choose>
</xsl:template>

For each "row", if there is text in column[1] then it generates output with
type=present.
If there is no text in column[1] then the text from the nearest non-empty
preceding row/column[1] should be used, and type=absent.

But that gives the following output.

<test heading="Reference Present" type="present" value="1=missing"/>
<test heading="Reference Present" type="absent" value="2=present"/>
<test heading="Reference Standard" type="present" value="0=missing"/>
<test heading="Reference Standard" type="absent" value="1=525"/>
<test heading="" type="absent" value="2=625"/>

So, if the heading was present, it's coming through as required.
If it is absent on the current row, it is only coming through once, and I want
it to come through every time.

My selection is preceding-sibling::node()[column[1]][1]/column[1].

By this I mean "find the nearest preceding sibling with something in column1"
- preceding-sibling::node()[column[1]]
return the first item in this seqnence - [1]
return the whole of column 1 of it - /column[1]

Can someone advise what I'm getting wrong here.  I have tried a selection of
simimlar options, with and without various [1]'s for example, but was rather
finding I was trying things randomly rather than understanding what I was
doing.

Puzzledly,
Richard.



Richard Kerry
BNCS Engineer
T: +44 (0)20 82259063
M: +44 (0)7812 325518
Room EBX 301, BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, London, W12 7RJ
richard.kerry@xxxxxxxx
uk.atos.net <http://uk.atos.net/en-uk/>

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