Incrementing a Global variable

This drawback of XSL/XSL:FO is quite frustating



I want something like this 
--------------------------------------
|Sl No | STUDENT NAME     | TOption   |
--------------------------------------
| 1    |  SAM             |  English  | <-
position()=1
--------------------------------------
| 2    |  RAJ             |  English  | <-
position()=2
--------------------------------------
| 3    |  RON             |  English  | <-
position()=3
--------------------------------------
| 4    |                  |           |
--------------------------------------
| 5    |  JON             |  German   | <-
position()=4
--------------------------------------
| 6    |  DON             |  German   | <-
position()=5
--------------------------------------
| 7    |                  |           |
-------------------------------------- 
| 8    |  MON             |  Hebrew   | <-
position()=6
--------------------------------------
| 9    |  GON             |  Hebrew   | <-
position()=7
--------------------------------------
| 10   | TOTAL= 7         |           |
--------------------------------------
| 11   |                  |           |
--------------------------------------
| 12   |                  |           |
--------------------------------------
| 13   |                  |           |
-------------------------------------- 
| 14   |                  |           |
--------------------------------------
| 15   |                  |           |
--------------------------------------

Pl. Note 
1. the rows with out values
2. position() is not same as Sl No.
3. blank rows continues till end of page
4. after first break diff between position() and Sl
No. is 1 (then after second break 2 ....)
5. this is only a very tiny part of xml/output used to
just illustrate the problem, So I cannot use static
sl. no. (it is in a <xsl:for-each select="Student"
..loop)


I have however created above table (breaks by grouping
and extra blank-rows by recursion)

but could not get Sl. No. ordered
I can get something like
--------------------------------------
|Sl No | STUDENT NAME     | TOption   |
--------------------------------------
| 1    |  SAM             |  English  | <-
position()=1
--------------------------------------
| 2    |  RAJ             |  English  | <-
position()=2
--------------------------------------
| 3    |  RON             |  English  | <-
position()=3
--------------------------------------
|      |                  |           |
--------------------------------------
| 4    |  JON             |  German   | <-
position()=4
--------------------------------------
| 5    |  DON             |  German   | <-
position()=5
--------------------------------------
|      |                  |           |
--------------------------------------
| 6    |  MON             |  Hebrew   |<- position()=6
--------------------------------------
| 7    |  GON             |  Hebrew   |<- position()=7
--------------------------------------
| 10   | TOTAL= 7         |           |
--------------------------------------
| 11   |                  |           |
--------------------------------------
| 12   |                  |           |
--------------------------------------
| 13   |                  |           |
-------------------------------------- 
| 14   |                  |           |
--------------------------------------
| 15   |                  |           |
--------------------------------------


I got last sl no.(10-15) ordered by using 
1. break-count(here 2) 
2. Student nodes count(here 7) 
3. total no. of rows (here 15)(fixed)

Actual Problem is to print Sl No.(Here 1 to 9)

Only solution I suppose, is adding 1,2... after
1st,2nd... breaks but for that I require a global
variable which I can increment and add after every
break.........BUT....in XSL  variables are read
only!!!!!!!


can anybody show me a way? 

(Pl. Also Note Final out put is in PDF.Can it be
achieved with FO .....with backgroud image or Absolute
Positioning...

for this problem I also tried ft:assign but failed to
use it

Has any body used ft:assign? )




tia

Regards,
Raj

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