Re: [xsl] Keys off of variable xml source

[Wendell Piez <wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Karl,

At 06:17 PM 3/31/2005, you wrote:
> Is it legal to create a key off of an xml source stored as a variable?
> So the key decleration might look like:
>
> <xsl:key name="myKey" match="$external_xml_source//data" use="some_element"/>

This isn't legal, but not for the reason you think. In XSLT 1.0, a match 
pattern can't contain a variable reference.

> If not, is there a workaround?

None is needed, really. If you declare the key normally

<xsl:key name="myKey" match="data" use="some_element"/>

and then be sure that when you call it, the context is inside 
$external_xml_source, you'll be fine:

<xsl:variable name="var" select="[anything you need to capture context]"/>
<xsl:for-each select="$external_xml_source">
  ... inside here the key will retrieve nodes from $external_xml_source,
      and $var still refers to whatever you need from outside it ...
</xsl:for-each>

Your XSLT processor has enough information here to do the right thing -- 
and keys are specified to work this way.

This is a FAQ.

Cheers,
Wendell


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Wendell Piez                            mailto:wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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