Re: [xsl] XSLT 1.1 comments (in defence of xsl:script)

Subject: Re: [xsl] XSLT 1.1 comments (in defence of xsl:script)
From: David Carlisle <davidc@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 19:04:02 GMT

> Make this disctinction if you like, but all these issues can be dealt
> with just as effectively outside the core XSLT spec.

yes, I agree, there are other reasonable alternatives to xsl:script.

And I cringe every time I see a stylesheet using msxsl:script to
implement something in javascript that's built into xpath.
that isn't what i want to encourage!

However I felt that the case against xsl:script was basically
being over influenced by the fact that its name "script" seems to 
lead people to believe that it's about a new mechanism of writing
non portable procedural script code into otherwise pure xsl territory. 

But I don't see it that way at all. It might better be called
xsl:standard-binding-mechanism 
(well you've argued against the standardised bindings as well, so i
suppose you wouldn't like that either, but I wasn't addressing those
arguments, just the argument against "script proliferation")

If an XSL file uses an extension function from a non XSL namespace
then it seems there are at least three choices:

The extension namespace is "known" to the system and it isn't explictly
declared anywhere (other than being declared as a namespace)

The extension namespace is bound to an implementation of the functions
in that namespace by some standardised mechanism outside the xsl
namespace (and possibly outside the xsl file)

or (the feature added with xsl:script) There is a standardised mechanism
within XSL or specifying an implementation or implementations.

I don't really want to argue with you about your comments on whether
standardised bindings are a good thing. (Because you know more
about that side of things than I do) But what I was trying to point out
that _your_ arguments are arguing about the core issue (whether a
standardised binding is a good idea) and that xsl:script, despite its
name, isn't about encouraging the use of scripting languages.

David

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