Re: [xsl] redundancy in string(number(current())) = 'NaN' ??

Subject: Re: [xsl] redundancy in string(number(current())) = 'NaN' ??
From: "G. Ken Holman" <gkholman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 16:45:54 -0400
At 2003-06-11 16:38 -0400, Robert P. J. Day wrote:
//sales[string(number(current()))='NaN']

just to make sure, i'm assuming the "current()" part is
redundant, since number() will use the string-value of the
context node if there is no argument.  do i understand
that correctly?

No, I'm afraid you don't. The current() function returns the node that was the current node at the beginning of the XPath evaluation ... which could be anywhere given this example XPath expression is starting at the root.


It is *very* useful at times when the current node is the middle of the expression isn't what you need, and would be returned if you just used ".". In the above example "." is a <sales> element. The current node at the start of the expression is most likely not a <sales> element in the above example (though of course it might be).

if so, i assume that that was just put in for aesthetics.

Not at all ... current() is an XSLT function and there is no way in XPath to make reference to that node that was current at the beginning of expression evaluation.


I hope this helps.

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


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