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Re: xml, xslt and namespaces

• To: "'xml-dev'" <xml-dev@l...>
• Subject: Re: xml, xslt and namespaces
• From: "G. Ken Holman" <gkholman@C...>
• Date: Sun, 19 Sep 2004 09:52:35 -0400
• In-reply-to: <000f01c49e06$9af0c800$0301a8c0@rhuidean>
• References: <02ad01c49db8$dc793210$0200a8c0@waleedxp><414CF0D7.2030505@c...>

At 2004-09-19 07:07 +0200, Tor Helland wrote:
> > We see definitively that if there is no prefix in the name used in a
> > step, then the null namespace is assigned, not the default namespace.
> > That's why expressions like request/title do not return anything when
> > those elements are in a non-null default namespace.
>
>So, just to see if I get this right: A default namespace like this:
><?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
><test xmlns="test">
>   <container-abc>
>   ...
>   </container-abc>
></test>
>
>leaves the container-abc element only reachable by some non-abbreviated
>syntax like:
>     //*[name()="container-abc"]

False in that it is not the "only" way, and indeed it is an "improper" way 
and should not be used as you are using it.

The proper way would be to address the nodes in the namespace using a 
prefix as defined in the stylesheet.

>but here:
>
><?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
><test xmlns="test" xmlns:t="test">
>   <container-abc>
>   ...
>   </container-abc>
></test>
>
>I would get results with
>     //t:container-abc
>
>Is that right?

Again you are mixing up the prefixes of the source file with the prefixes 
of the stylesheet.  The address "t:container-abc" would only work if your 
stylesheet had such a prefix "t", regardless of whether or not "t" was 
declared in your source file.

The stylesheet DOES NOT RELY on the prefixes used in the source file, and 
any stylesheet that bases its processing on the prefixes used in the source 
file will not be namespace-safe.

The name() function is really only useful for exposition, not for testing.

If you want to test "Am I a particular element", use the self axis as in:

     <xsl:if test="self::ken:container-abc" xmlns:ken="test">
       I am a container
     </xsl:if>

... though you would probably have the namespace declaration at the top of 
your stylesheet tree.

You are asking a lot of questions about an example that can be quickly 
tested ... please see below for an illustration of what I'm trying to describe.

I hope this helps.

....................... Ken

T:\ftemp>type tor.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<test xmlns="test" xmlns:t="test">
   <container-abc>
   Hello Tor
   </container-abc>
</test>
T:\ftemp>type tor.xsl
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<xsl:stylesheet xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"
                 xmlns:ken="test"
                 version="1.0">

<xsl:output method="text"/>

<xsl:template match="/">
   <xsl:value-of select="//ken:container-abc"/>
</xsl:template>

</xsl:stylesheet>
T:\ftemp>saxon tor.xml tor.xsl

   Hello Tor

T:\ftemp>


--
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• References:
  • RE: xml, xslt and namespaces
    • From: "Waleed Abdulla" <Waleed_Abdulla@x...>
  • Re: xml, xslt and namespaces
    • From: "Thomas B. Passin" <tpassin@c...>
  • Re: xml, xslt and namespaces
    • From: "Tor Helland" <tor@h...>

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