RE: [xsl] Invoking XSLT 2.0

Subject: RE: [xsl] Invoking XSLT 2.0
From: "Michael Kay" <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:01:42 +0100
> I don't think XSLT 1.0 had an option to specify the initial 
> template. An XML input document was required also, and could 
> not be omitted. So compatibility doesn't arise.

I think Abel's point was that the reason Saxon until 8.9 didn't allow both a
context document and an initial template to be specified on the command line
(it allowed it in the Java API) was that it was difficult to find a syntax
for the command line that allowed it and also retained backwards
compatibility. That was indeed part of the reason; the other part was that I
wasn't convinced people really needed this combination.

In fact I find now that I'm quite often writing stylesheets with multiple
entry points to do slightly different reports on the same data, as an
alternative to using parameters or overlays. That wasn't the target use case
when we introduced the facility, but it turns out to be quite handy.

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

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