Re: [xsl] formatting xml output: inserting newlines between generated attributes

[Wendell Piez <wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Abie,

At 06:01 PM 9/10/2003, you wrote:

> I just looked up the node-set() extension function for msxml3...
> so if I have a variable:
> <xsl:variable name="tree">
>  <form name="form1">
>    <control name="control1"/>
>  </form>
>  <form name="form2>
>    <control name="control1"/>
>    <control name="control2"/>
>  </form>
> </xsl:variable>
>
> I can use all the normal retrieval and counting mechanisms that I use on 
> the source document?
> - like: <xsl:apply-templates 
> select="node-set($tree)/form[@name='form1']/control"/>
> ?

Yup.

> I have been reluctant to use extension functions b/c I didn't want to base 
> my design on things that are vendor dependant and that could possibly not 
> be there even for the same vendor in the next release.

Understood: this is a valid and well-founded concern (not to say 
"well-formed").

If you want to ply the absolutely straight and narrow, avoid it. In the 
case of node-set(), however, it is just about the commonest extension 
function out there (most processors have a version of it), so (given you 
have to mind your namespace bindings and all that) it's still quite 
portable. Also, its functionality will be built into XSLT/XPath 2.0, which 
also mitigates the problem of application-dependency over the longer term 
(not that there won't be adjustments to make).

Should you use it? That I cannot say. Is it a concern? Always. Tactical 
decisions must be informed by strategy, which will tell you what kinds of 
risks you can take.

Cheers,
Wendell



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Wendell Piez                            mailto:wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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