Re: [xsl] How to insert a set nodes under the root of an arbitrary XML using XSL?

Subject: Re: [xsl] How to insert a set nodes under the root of an arbitrary XML using XSL?
From: "Beck, Jeff (NIH/NLM/NCBI) [E]" <beck@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2011 16:39:18 -0500
On 1/7/11 4:27 PM, "Graydon" <graydon@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>Yikes!
>
>Sorry, brain leak -- You can't have two element children of the root
>node.  Thought about that much too mechanically.
>
>The root node is _defined_ as having zero or one element children.
>
>If you meant the document node -- the single element child of the root
>node --
>then see the amended version below.
>
>If you meant the root node, you can't do that.
>
>If that means that what you want is to stick everything else inside your
>known node a, or vice-versa, that's a bit different.
>
>On Fri, Jan 07, 2011 at 04:16:16PM -0500, Graydon Saunders scripsit:
>> On Fri, Jan 07, 2011 at 04:07:43PM -0500, William C Thompson scripsit:
>> > I would love to know how to (using XSL) insert a pre-determined node a
>> > (with children b and c) as a child of the root node of an arbitrary
>>XML.  I
>> > know how to apply the XSL once I've got it.  I just need help with
>>the XSL.
>> > All the examples I'm finding online assume a pre-determined XML,
>>which I
>> > cannot in this case.
>> [snip illustrative abstract example]
>> > Most importantly, please note that any solutions with hard-coded
>>references
>> > to any node names (other than those I want to insert) are not usable
>>for
>> > me.  I have no control over the schema of the XML into which I'm
>>sticking
>> > these other nodes.  I know only that it's a valid XML file and the
>>root has
>> > at least one child.  The above example is a purely made up example
>>designed
>> > to illustrate the question.
>>
>> You can do this with two templates, at least if I understand the
>>question:
>>
>> <!-- Our old friend the identity transform -->
>> <xsl:template match="node()|@*">
>>     <xsl:copy>
>>         <xsl:apply-templates select="node()|@*"/>
>>     </xsl:copy>
>> </xsl:template>
>>
>> <!-- match the first element child of the document node -->
>                                            ^^^^^^^^
>You can't have two element children of the root node; the root node is
>_defined_
>as having only one element child.
>
>> <xsl:template match="/*/*[1]">
>                       ^^^^^^^
>>     <element> Your fixed content goes here as literal result elements
>></element>
>>     <!-- but don't lose the former first element child of the root node
>>-->
>>     <xsl:copy>
>>         <xsl:apply-templates select="node()|@*"/>
>>     </xsl:copy>
>> </xsl:template>

There is only one child of the root node, but you still can match it. This
modification of your original (along with the identity template) works
nicely for me with XSL1 in xalan. The advantage of matching the root
element is that there might not be any children.

I think you'll need to write your fixed content in the copy - and don't
forget to process the attributes before you write any children

<!-- match the first element child of the root node -->
<xsl:template match="/*[1]">
    <!-- but don't lose the former first element child of the root node -->
    <xsl:copy>
        <xsl:apply-templates select="@*"/>
        <element> Your fixed content goes here as literal result elements
</element>
        <xsl:apply-templates select="node()"/>
    </xsl:copy>

</xsl:template>

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