RE: [xsl] key() in match pattern of xsl:key

Subject: RE: [xsl] key() in match pattern of xsl:key
From: "Michael Kay" <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 19:22:28 -0000
> Any clue why keys referencing keys is illegal but variables 
> referencing variables is ok?
> 

A number of late comments were raised (by me, IIRC) on the final draft of
the XSLT 1.0 spec pointing out possibilities for circularities where the
spec didn't say what should happen. The Working Group played safe and fixed
these by imposing restrictions. The restriction on using variable references
in a match pattern falls into the same category. I don't think anyone
expected that users would still be living with those restrictions six years
later.

Variables referencing variables was already covered in the spec. So the
simple answer is that one had been thought through properly, the other was a
rushed decision.

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/

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