Re: [xsl] Is the first preceding-sibling a processing-instruction?

["Eliot Kimber eliot.kimber@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <xsl-list-service@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I find these kind of nearest preceding thing that is a kind of thing but not
other things and theres no other thing intervening checks to be one of the
most challenging to express in XPath, certainly in any kind of compact XPath.

I often solve them by selecting an anchoring element that the check can be
relative to using << or >>, i.e., find the nearest preceding thing that
the target cant be before, then use that as the boundary for finding the
thing you want, i.e.:

<xsl:variable name=preceding-element select=preceding::*[1]/>
<xsl:variable name=preceding-pi
select=preceding::processing-instruction()[. >> $preceding-element][1]/>

I suppose the first variable could be put inline in the second XPath, but in
an XSLT context I find it clearer to separate out the anchoring node. Its
certainly easier to test and debug.

Cheers,

E.

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From: Piez, Wendell A. (Fed) wendell.piez@xxxxxxxx
<xsl-list-service@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Monday, May 8, 2023 at 11:54 AM
To: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [xsl] Is the first preceding-sibling a processing-instruction?
[External Email]

________________________________
How about

preceding-sibling::processing-instruction() except
preceding-sibling::node()/preceding-sibling::processing-instruction()

?

Presumably this should get any PI that is immediately behind the context node,
but none that are not. (Untested.)

Cheers, Wendell

From: Eliot Kimber eliot.kimber@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<xsl-list-service@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, May 8, 2023 11:31 AM
To: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [xsl] Is the first preceding-sibling a processing-instruction?

I interpreted the initial requirement as If the first preceding sibling that
is not an empty text() node is a processing instruction, get that.

But the markup as shown as the starting point only has elements, PIs, and text
nodes, so for that content a simple
preceding-sibling::processing-instruction()[1] would give the right answer,
assuming there is always a PI before each element.

Cheers,

E.

_____________________________________________
Eliot Kimber
Sr Staff Content Engineer
O: 512 554 9368
M: 512 554 9368
servicenow.com<https://www.servicenow.com/>
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Twitter<https://twitter.com/servicenow> |
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From: Graydon graydon@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:graydon@xxxxxxxxx>
<xsl-list-service@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:xsl-list-service@xxxxxxxxxxxx
rytech.com>>
Date: Monday, May 8, 2023 at 10:02 AM
To: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
Subject: Re: [xsl] Is the first preceding-sibling a processing-instruction?
[External Email]

On Mon, May 08, 2023 at 01:37:45PM -0000, Michael Kay
mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx> scripsit:
> But you could do
>
>
preceding-sibling::node()[not(self::text())][1][self::processing-instruction(
)]

I would use

preceding-sibling::processing-instruction()[1]

And I think it means "of my preceding siblings nodes which have node
type processing instruction, I want the one closest to me".

Have I got that wrong? Or is it only wanted if there's no intervening
node that's not a white space only text node?

--
Graydon Saunders | graydonish@xxxxxxxxx<mailto:graydonish@xxxxxxxxx>
^fs oferiode, pisses swa mfg.
-- Deor ("That passed, so may this.")
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