RE: empty string

This is a question based on my other problem in "xml:number problem" thread.  Please read that thread and see if you can help me there.  THANKS!!!

Charlene

-----Original Message-----
From: Wendell Piez [mailto:wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2003 12:40 PM
To: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re:  empty string


You can, however, generate an element or attribute node which has no 
content, which serializes (or doesn't, depend on how you look at it) as an 
"empty string" and/or which processing software can easily "recognize" as 
an "empty string".

Why you would want to put an empty string into output, as (was it?) Mike 
said, is another question. I suppose if we reversed it to say "not put a 
string with any content" into output, it's easier to see -- yet that's 
easy, you just do nothing!

I love philosophy early in the day.

Cheers,
Wendell

At 07:42 PM 6/17/2003, Mike wrote:
>Yan, Charlene wrote:
> > Is there a way to put an empty string in xsl.
>
>No, not a truly empty string. XSLT is about generating a DOM-like tree of
>nodes from which linear output, such as a series of bytes representing an
>encoded string, is typically derived automatically. The production of a text
>node requires the presence of at least one character. The character could be
>a space or other non-printing character though.

___&&__&_&___&_&__&&&__&_&__&__&&____&&_&___&__&_&&_____&__&__&&_____&_&&_
     "Thus I make my own use of the telegraph, without consulting
      the directors, like the sparrows, which I perceive use it
      extensively for a perch." -- Thoreau


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