Re: [xsl] Invoking XSLT 2.0

[Abel Braaksma <abel.online@xxxxxxxxx>]

Colin Adams wrote:
> > I don't think there's an option to call an XSL stylesheet without an
> > input XML,
>
>
> It is a requirement of XSLT 2.0 that the initial template can be 
> specified by QName, rather than chosen by a match on the initial 
> context node, which is not required), and therefore no input XML 
> document is required.
>
> With the Saxon command line, this is the -it option.
>
> With Gestalt/gexslt, it is the --initial-template option.
>
> (I don't know Altova).

I do, and it is not compliant in this: it does not provide any means for 
setting the initial mode or the initial template. As a result, it is not 
possible to start a stylesheet without an initial context.

(((The first time I noticed this Altova replied on this list saying you 
can workaround this by supplying the XSLT stylesheet as input. Which 
made me believe that Altova people were not really aware of the 
differences this brings as compared to no initial context or a defined 
starting point for your transformation. Recently they changed a sentence 
on their website: on the homepage, they now "fully support the REC of 
XSLT 2.0", on the details page, they say they support some CR of June 
2006... (in fact, they support neither fully, and remarks and critique 
are alas still left unanswered, let alone an honest overview of the 
level of compliance).)))

Note that Saxon also has a way of specifying an input source *and* an 
initial template (which is allowed according to the spec). You must use 
the -s option, added, I believe, in the 8.9 version of Saxon.

-- Abel