RE: Incrementing a Global variable

I am not asking to introduce variables as like in
procedural languages.. We can keep xsl:variable as it
is, 

but can we introduce a syntax like xsl:variable2 (say
in XSLT 2.0 -- in addition to xsl:variable) which can
be defined at xsl:stylesheet level -- which can be
allowed to increment. The processing model of XSLT can
remain same(to maintain functional programming style);


the construct (e.g. xsl:variable2 ) can be maintained
in a global memory (maintained by XSLT processor) and
can be incremented..

for e.g. if I define <xsl:variable2 name="a"
select="0" />
 and possibly *any no of* other variables for e.g.
<xsl:variable2 name="b" .. etc. at xsl:stylesheet
level

and lets assume for e.g. -- this template is being
processed at some point..
<xsl:template matche="something">
  <xsl:variable2 name="a" select="$a + 1" />
</xsl:template>

When the processor encounters the statement --
<xsl:variable2 name="a" select="$a + 1" /> it will
increment the value of "a" at a global place..

Would introducing this feature will make XSLT really
procedural?

Thanks for your reference about <xsl:for-each
select="20 to 30"> ... but I could not see it on the
XSLT 2.0 site -- http://www.w3.org/TR/xslt20/

Regards,
Mukul


--- Michael Kay <mhk@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > 
> > Though the issue about incrementing the variables
> has
> > been discussed a lot on this list, I feel if there
> is
> > a feature where some sort of variable incrmenting
> is
> > possible in XSLT, it will save lot of programming
> > hours producing a trivial thing as generating
> serial
> > nos. I am not suggesting to deviate from the
> viewpoint
> > that XSLT should be a functional language.
> 
> But it would deviate from that principle. It would
> change it from a
> functional language to a procedural one, in which
> instructions have to
> be executed in a fixed order.
> 
> 
> > Also if we can have looping constructs
> > which can iterate over number ranges for e.g.
> > 
> > for (int i=0; i < n; i++) , it will facilitate
> > processing loops in a diffrent way. 
> 
> XSLT 2.0 allows you to do this:
> 
> <xsl:for-each select="20 to 30">
>   <xsl:value-of select="."/>
> </xsl:for-each>
> 
> You can simulate this in 1.0 with
> 
> <xsl:for-each select="//node()[position() &lt;=
> 10]">
>   <xsl:value-of select="position() + 20"/>
> </xsl:for-each>
> 
> Michael Kay
> 
> 
>  XSL-List info and archive: 
> http://www.mulberrytech.com/xsl/xsl-list
> 


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