[xsl] Setting the namespace in a document root element

[Michael Burek <mburek@xxxxxxxx>]

I have a question that has been puzzling me and some of my  
colleagues.  I've spent some time searching FAQs etc, but
haven't found this variant.  If the answer can be found in an FAQ or  
mailing list somewhere a pointer would be appreciated.  I haven't  
found the right jumble of search words to get me to information I need.

In the output document below I want the xmlns:gco="http:// 
www.isotc211.org/2005/gco namespace declaration to appear in the  
MD_Metadata root element, not in the CharacterString child element(s)

Input file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<catalog xmlns="http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/namespaces/thredds/ 
InvCatalog/v1.0"
     xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink";
     xmlns:xsi="http:// www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
     xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/namespaces/ 
thredds/InvCatalog/v1.0
     http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/schemas/thredds/InvCatalog.1.0.xsd";>

     <dataset ID="ucar.scd.vets.vg.cat" name="Meteorology Navigation  
and Surface State Parameters" harvest="true">
         <date type="metadataHarvested" format="YYYY-MM- 
DD">2006-08-26</date>
     </dataset>
</catalog>

Style sheet:

?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="2.0" xmlns="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gmd";
       xmlns:gco="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gco";
       xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance";
       xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform";
       xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink";
       xmlns:thredds="http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/namespaces/thredds/ 
InvCatalog/v1.0"
       xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gmd
../2005/ gmd/gmd.xsd http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gco ../gco/gco.xsd"
       exclude-result-prefixes="thredds" >

      <xsl:output method="xml" indent="yes" encoding="UTF-8"/>

     <xsl:template match="thredds:catalog">
         <xsl:element name="MD_Metadata" >
             <xsl:namespace name="gco">http://www.isotc211.org/2005/ 
gco</xsl:namespace>
             <xsl:attribute name="xsi:schemaLocation">
                    http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gmd ../gmd/gmd.xsd  
http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gco ../gco/gco.xsd
             </xsl:attribute>
             <xsl:variable name="datasetId" select="thredds:dataset/  
@ID"/>
             <!-- fileIdentifier -->
              <xsl:element name="fileIdentifier">
                 <xsl:element name="gco:CharacterString">
                     <xsl:value-of select="$datasetId"/>
                 </xsl:element>
             </xsl:element>
         </xsl:element>
     </xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>

Output:  (edited to add spaces and CRs for clarity)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<MD_Metadata xmlns="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gmd";  
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance";  
xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gmd ../gmd/gmd.xsd  
http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gco../gco/ gco.xsd">

   <fileIdentifier>
        <gco:CharacterString xmlns:gco="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/
gco">ucar.scd.vets.vg.cat</gco:CharacterString>
  </fileIdentifier>

</MD_Metadata>

Desired Output:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<MD_Metadata xmlns="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gmd";  
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance
        xmlns:gco="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gco
        xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gmd ../gmd/ 
gmd.xsd
              http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gco ../gco/ gco.xsd" >

    <fileIdentifier>
	<gco:CharacterString">ucar.scd.vets.vg.cat</gco:CharacterString>
    </fileIdentifier>

</MD_Metadata>



There are many CharacterString and other gco namespace elements in the
real output document, so having the namespace in each is undesirable.


Thanks in advance,

Michael