Re: [xsl] Global variable reads in the input XML document using the document() function ... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't

["G. Ken Holman" <gkholman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 2012-10-27 13:11 +0000, Costello, Roger L. wrote:
> Hi Folks,
>
> I have an XSLT program which has a global variable that uses the 
> document() function to read in the XML document that the program was 
> invoked with:
>
> ------------------------------------------------------
> <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
> <xsl:stylesheet xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform";
>                            version="2.0">
>
>     <xsl:variable name="file" select="document(.)"/>
>
>     <xsl:template match="/">
>         ...
>     </xsl:template>
>
> </xsl:stylesheet>
> ------------------------------------------------------
>
> On some input XML documents that XSLT program works, and on others I 
> get a horrific error message such as this:
>
> FODC0002: Exception thrown by URIResolver: Invalid relative URI
> {\n\t\t\t\tThis%20is%20an%20ann...}: Illegal character in path at index 0:

Sure it's invalid, it begins with a newline character.

> It appears that the problem is with this statement:
>
>     <xsl:variable name="file" select="document(.)"/>

Right ... you are sking the processor to take the text value of the 
input file and pass that to the document() function as a URI string to open.

> Sometimes the document() function finds the input XML file and 
> sometimes it doesn't.
>
> Why?

Because you are opening the stylesheet with an XML file whose text 
value is or is not a valid URI.  Certainly a newline and a bunch of 
tab characters and "This is an..." is not a valid URI, just as the 
message indicates.

> I solved the problem by passing into the XSLT program the filename 
> of the input XML file and then invoking document() with that filename.

Fine ... that is a nice delimited string.

> But I'd like to understand why the other approach doesn't work.

Because you are passing the text value of the entire input document as a URI.

What is it you really wanted from your input file?  Is it perhaps a 
descendent element somewhere that has the URI that you want to open?

I hope this helps.

 . . . . . . . . Ken

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