Re: Setting the namespace in a document root element

In the output document below I want the xmlns:gco="http://
www.isotc211.org/2005/gco namespace declaration to appear in
the MD_Metadata root element, not in the CharacterString
child element(s)

As it happens this came up in another thread yesterday. The simple answer is
to use literal result elements rather than xsl:element. LRE's copy all
in-scope namespaces from the stylesheet (unless excluded using
exclude-result-prefixes), xsl:element doesn't. In any case, LRE's in my view
are easier to write and easier to read.

So change:

<xsl:element name="MD_Metadata" >

to:

<MD_Metadata xmlns:gco="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gco">

This then raises the question of why your <xsl:namespace> instruction didn't
do the trick. It ought to, and the output I get from Saxon 8.8 in fact
matches your desired output.

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/

Input file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<catalog xmlns="http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/namespaces/thredds/
InvCatalog/v1.0"
xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
xmlns:xsi="http:// www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/namespaces/
thredds/InvCatalog/v1.0
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/schemas/thredds/InvCatalog. 1.0.xsd">

      <dataset ID="ucar.scd.vets.vg.cat" name="Meteorology
Navigation and Surface State Parameters" harvest="true">
          <date type="metadataHarvested" format="YYYY-MM-
DD">2006-08-26</date>
      </dataset>
</catalog>

Style sheet:

?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="2.0" xmlns="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/ gmd"
xmlns:gco="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gco"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"
xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
xmlns:thredds="http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/namespaces/ thredds/
InvCatalog/v1.0"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gmd
../2005/ gmd/gmd.xsd http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gco ../gco/gco.xsd"
exclude-result-prefixes="thredds" >

<xsl:output method="xml" indent="yes" encoding="UTF-8"/>

      <xsl:template match="thredds:catalog">
          <xsl:element name="MD_Metadata" >
              <xsl:namespace name="gco">http://www.isotc211.org/2005/
gco</xsl:namespace>
              <xsl:attribute name="xsi:schemaLocation">
                     http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gmd
../gmd/gmd.xsd http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gco ../gco/gco.xsd
              </xsl:attribute>
              <xsl:variable name="datasetId"
select="thredds:dataset/ @ID"/>
              <!-- fileIdentifier -->
               <xsl:element name="fileIdentifier">
                  <xsl:element name="gco:CharacterString">
                      <xsl:value-of select="$datasetId"/>
                  </xsl:element>
              </xsl:element>
          </xsl:element>
      </xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>

Output: (edited to add spaces and CRs for clarity)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<MD_Metadata xmlns="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gmd"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gmd
../gmd/gmd.xsd http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gco../gco/ gco.xsd">

<fileIdentifier>
<gco:CharacterString xmlns:gco="http://www.isotc211.org/ 2005/
gco">ucar.scd.vets.vg.cat</gco:CharacterString>
</fileIdentifier>

</MD_Metadata>

Desired Output:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<MD_Metadata xmlns="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gmd"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance
         xmlns:gco="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gco
         xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gmd
../gmd/ gmd.xsd
               http://www.isotc211.org/2005/gco ../gco/ gco.xsd" >

     <fileIdentifier>
	<gco:CharacterString">ucar.scd.vets.vg.cat</gco:CharacterString>
     </fileIdentifier>

</MD_Metadata>

There are many CharacterString and other gco namespace
elements in the real output document, so having the namespace
in each is undesirable.

Thanks in advance,

Michael