Re: XSLT Draft: Modes vs. Variables

Oren Ben-Kiki wrote:

> >... there seems to be very little
> >difference between a template declared as
> >
> ><xsl:template match="node()" mode="bo-peep" priority="[infinity]">
> >
> >and one declared as
> >
> ><xsl:template name="bo-beep">.
> 
> There's one crucial difference: calling:
> 
> <xsl:apply-templates mode="bo-beep" select="..."/>
> 
> Has no equivalent using named templates. Note that the following:
> 
> <xsl:for-each select="...">
>     <xsl:call-template name="bo-beep"/>
> </xsl:for-each>
> 
> Is _not_ the same thing, since there must be only one template name
> 'bo-beep' in the 'for-each' case.

Huh?  It would be an error if there was more than one template rule
declared as:

<xsl:template match="node()" mode="bo-peep"
priority="[infinity]">...</xsl:template>

and, given such a template rule,

  <xsl:apply-templates mode="bo-peep" select="..."/>

would always apply the same template.  If xsl:call-template had a select
attribute, then it would be exactly equivalent to what in the current WD
is:

<xsl:for-each select="...">
  <xsl:call-template name="bo-beep"/>
</xsl:for-each>

The WG considered lots of different alternatives (including not having
<xsl:call-template> and <xsl:template name="..."> at all, having a
select attribute on xsl:call-template, combining xsl:apply-templates and
xsl:call-template) before settling on the current design.
The model behind the current design is that there are two ways to invoke
templates, by name and by pattern matching. To invoke templates by name
use xsl:call-template.  To invoke templates by pattern matching use
xsl:apply-templates.  The match and mode attributes on xsl:template
control when the template can be invoked by pattern matching.  The name
attribute on xsl:template controls when the template can be invoked by
name.

James



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