RE: [xsl] Coding around a "Cannot convert zero-length string to an integer" error

[cknell@xxxxxxxxxx]

Very perceptive, you put your finger on it! I changed my code to use a slightly more compact version of your expression:

<xsl:function name="ck:excel-serial-date" as="xs:string?">
  <xsl:param name="input-date" as="xs:string?"/>
  <xsl:value-of select="if(not($input-date) or $input-date = '') then '' else xs:string(xs:integer(translate(xs:string(xs:date($input-date)-xs:date('1900-01-01')),'PD','')))"/>
</xsl:function>

-- 
Charles Knell
cknell@xxxxxxxxxx - email



-----Original Message-----
From:     Houghton,Andrew <houghtoa@xxxxxxxx>
Sent:     Mon, 13 Aug 2007 10:03:03 -0400
To:       <xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject:  RE: [xsl] Coding aroung a "Cannot convert zero-length string to an integer" error

> From: cknell@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:cknell@xxxxxxxxxx] 
> Sent: 13 August, 2007 09:44
> To: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [xsl] Coding aroung a "Cannot convert zero-length 
> string to an integer" error
> 
> <xsl:function name="ck:excel-serial-date" as="xs:string?">
>   <xsl:param name="input-date" as="xs:string?"/>
>   <xsl:value-of select="if($input-date = '') then '' else 
> xs:string(xs:integer(translate(xs:string(xs:date($input-date)-
> xs:date('1900-01-01')),'PD','')))"/>
> </xsl:function>
> 
> I thought that this fragment "if($input-date = '') then '' 
> ..." would short-circuit any attempt to convert a zero-length 
> string to an integer, but apparently I have misapprehended 
> something key here. Can anyone point out where I've gone 
> wrong and suggest a fix?

I think the issue is that an empty string is not the same as a
non-existent node.  You might need to change the test to:

if(not(exists($input-date)) or normalize-space($input-date) = '')

although you might be able to shorten it to:

if (normalize-space($input-date) = '')


Andy.