Re: Compare the value and do something

Cheun N Chong wrote:
> 
> I am wondering whether XSLT can do the following (like normal
> programming):
> 
>         1. Pass in a value to the XSL, eg. the current date.

Not within XSLT, although almost all transformation processors will
provide you with a processor-specific way of achieving this.

>         2. Compare the current date to the <BESTBEFORE> tag value.

Sure, once you've got the value into an XSLT-accessible parameter.
Although support for date manipulation seems to be causing a few
headaches, it can be done.

>         3. Change the <CONDITION> value if it is expired, if not preserve
>            the value.

Now you're misunderstanding the jobs XSLT does. You may be able to
create some logical test which would display one thing or another
depending on the provided data, or comparisons between that data, but an
XSLT transform does not actually _change_ the source data document, it
merely interprets what it's given. This produces the result tree, a new
unique object/entity.

However, you could probably set up some sort of feedback loop in an XSLT
processor environment which could transform XMLa into XMLb with adjusted
values. This work would have to be done outside of the XSLT 'language'
though, as piping or file saving are not XSLT concepts.

> Can XSL do "reading the value of <BESTBEFORE> set it to a variable"

Um, I think this is another case of "XSLT does not have write access to
the souce document".
It can set variables (for the duration of the process) and generate
output. It can read the input and set a variable to be the evaluated
value (which may be what you want, although your question sounds like
the reverse of that).

I'll now back off and expect someone else to say I'm totally wrong.
Despite what my clock says (2:30PM) it's actually 4:AM again here, so
don't trust a word I say.    X-)

.dan.


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