Result Tree Fragments & Variables

David,

Striving for a bit more comprehension here by referring to the
recommendation:

XSLT 11.1

A variable may be bound to a result tree fragment instead of one of the
four basice data-types (string, number, boolean, node-set).

<!-- this is why I thought variables could be bound to node-sets -->

XSLT 11.1

A result tree fragment represents a fragment of the result tree. A result
tree fragment is treated equivalently to a node-set that contains just a
single root node.

<!-- this is rephrased by David -->


> but any use of xsl:variable with non empty content produces a result
tree
> fragment so although this is basically the same as a node set
> containing one node with child zzzz nodes in sorted order,
> you can not access those nodes by any standard means.

XSLT 11.1
it is not permitted to use the /, //, and [] operators on result tree
fragments. When a permitted operation is performed on a result tree
fragment, it is performed exactly as it would be on the equivalent
node-set.

<!-- But aren't "permitted operations" standard, unless one means by
standard most currently in use by stylesheet writers? -->
 
XSLT 11.2

If the variable-binding element does not have a select attribute and has
non-empty content (i.e. the variable-binding element has one or more child
nodes), then the content of the variable-binding element specifies the
value. 

<!-- I read here a description of one possible type of binding. I
intrepret this to mean that the absence/presence of the select attribute
is decisive here in determining the data-type which will result from the
binding. -->

XSLT 11.2

The content of the variable-binding element is a template, which is
instantiated to give the value of the variable. The value is a reult tree
fragment equivlat to a node-set containing just a single root node have as
children the sequence of nodes produced by instantantiating the template.

<!-- I take this to mean that other types of binding are possible when the
select attribute is used with the xsl:variable element. A variable may be
bound to a node-set. -->

Is it the case that
	<xsl:variable select="*"/>
will bind the variable to a node set?


-- 
Francois Lachance
Post-doctoral Fellow
projet HYPERLISTES project
http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~hyplist/


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