RE: Question about variable definition and types

Hi,
   The presence of the attribute "as" determines whether the value of
the variable is evaluated to a sequence or a temporary tree. In this
case, with the "as" attribute, the value of the variable is a sequence
of the element <itSystem>. Without the "as" attribute, the value of the
variable is a document node of a temporary tree, the sequence of
<itSystem> are the children of the document node of the temporary tree.
That's why you have to use the child axis to locate the <itSystem>
elements.

   Lisa


-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Garrison [mailto:Jim.Garrison@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2008 2:01 PM
To: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject:  Question about variable definition and types

Given

    <xsl:variable name="itSystems" as="element()*">
        <xsl:for-each select="//system">
            <itSystem name="{nameOfSystem}"/>
        </xsl:for-each>
        <xsl:for-each select="//replacedLegacySystem">
            <itSystem name="{nameOfLegacySystem}"/>
        </xsl:for-each>
    </xsl:variable>

The type of $itSystems is such that the following Xpath expression
works:

	$itSystems[@name='whatever...']

However if I remove the as="element()*" attribute then the expression
has to be written as:

	$itSystems/itSystem[@name='whatever...']

What is the formal type of object returned in each case?  In the first I
believe it is a sequence of element nodes, but in the second there seems
to be an additional level of hierarchy.



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