RE: [xsl] Less than comparison has changed into what?

Subject: RE: [xsl] Less than comparison has changed into what?
From: "Michael Kay" <michael.h.kay@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 10:54:27 +0100
> When I parse :
> <xsl:if test="pwd/level &gt; $lev">
> 
> the parser (Saxon 7.1) warns me that the
> comparison has changed. Can you tell me how?
> I'd be thankful for that.
> 

In the current draft XPath 2.0 specs, the rules for "<" and ">" have
changed when the arguments are strings (or untyped nodes).

In XPath 1.0, both operands were converted to numbers, and were compared
numerically. Note this is different from "=", where they are compared as
strings. In XPath 1.0, "1" = "1.0" is false, but "1" <= "1.0" is true.

In XPath 2.0 WD, a numeric comparison happens if one or both operands is
a number, but if both are strings (or untyped nodes), you get an
alphabetic comparison (using the default collating sequence). This means
that "10" < "2" (both operands strings) will be true. The rules are also
generalized to allow comparison of other types such as dates and times.

So you need to rewrite the expression by wrapping one or both operands
in the number() function. Or better, initialize the $lev attribute so
its type is numeric.

One reason I put the warning into Saxon 7.1 was to try and get feedback
on how many stylesheets were likely to be affected by this change. If
there is strong reaction against it, the WG may change its mind. In my
view, it's a change for the better and is worth making.

(In Saxon 7.1, there is no schema support as yet, so all nodes are
untyped. If you had a schema that defined pwd/level as being numeric,
you would of course get a numeric comparison).

Michael Kay
Software AG
home: Michael.H.Kay@xxxxxxxxxxxx
work: Michael.Kay@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 


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