RE: [xsl] need help with MAX and MIN functions (if they exist)

["Andrew Welch" <AWelch@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Me:
> > True enough Demitre, but as you are already using vendor:node-set you
> may as well
> > use exsl's max() and min() functions...

DN:
> First a small correction: for XSLT 1.0 the latest FXSL version 1.2 uses
> ext:node-set(), where the prefix "ext" is associated with
> "http://exslt.org/common";

Sure, so you could easily use http://exslt.org/math and then exsl:min() and exsl:max()...

> FXSL for XSLT 2.0 does not use any extension functions and does not need
> porting or
> separate implementation for a particular XSLT 2.0 processor like EXSLT
> will need.

Afaik, the two biggies (Saxon and Xalan) that support xslt 2.0 already support exslt/math.  

How big is the portability issue anyway?  At the end of the day, when converting stylesheets from one processor to another, it just means changing the namespace.  Of course it's essential for client side apps, but as most processing is controlled serverside or in standalone apps, developers have control of their environments and know exactly which processor they want to use.  Should one processor start out performing another, at worst a namespace change is required.  

> The question should be more properly formulated like this: why one would
> choose to
> use FXSL's minimum() and maximum() over EXSLT's min() and max() and vice
> versa or
> more generally why and in what cases one would choose the FXSL's functions
> over the
> EXSLT's functions and vice versa.

Yes, that is a better way of formulating the question.  I think your English is probably better than mine, I'm from Cornwall :)

> The answer is that this depends on the needs of the user.

That’s exactly it.  The rest of your answer re-iterates the power of HOF's and the other many pro's of using FXSL, but I think sometimes you miss the point of using exslt - its easy!  

I just think when a new user ask's for min() and max() functions, it's best to let them discover exslt before incurring the extra learning curve of fxsl.  

cheers
andrew 

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