Re: Axis order and variables

Consider the following XML

  <x n="1">
    <x n="2">
      <test/>
    </x>
  </x>

and transform it via the following XSLT:

  <xsl:transform version="1.0"
    xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">

<xsl:output method="text" encoding="UTF-8"/>

    <xsl:template match="/">
      <xsl:for-each select="//test">
        <xsl:variable name="x" select="ancestor::x"/>
        <xsl:value-of select="$x[1]/@n"/>
      </xsl:for-each>
    </xsl:template>

</xsl:transform>

What is the expected result? Is it "1" or "2"?

If this is all what we have then the result of the above test
should be "1", since the value of a variable is an object
rather than an expression and thus is an (unordered) node-set.

Therefore, its members, when forced to be ordered,
should be ordered in document order.

Is it a definite answer?

Does it depend on a realization?

I have run into this question because the result of
MSXML 3.0 and Saxon differs from that of MSXML 4.0:
the former give "1", while the latter gives "2".
Who is right? Or they are both right?

--
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G. Ken Holman                mailto:gkholman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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