XSL hold, compare, and replace param value

Sorry for not giving you the details of my output.  Im looking to
display the title for every new country.

USA
Group     Name        id
AAA       Adel          12345
AAA       Barry         12346
AAA       Carl           12347
BBB       Dave          12345
BBB       Ethel          12346
BBB       Fred           12347

EUR
Group    Name         id
CCC      George       24567
CCC      Harold        23458
CCC      Jennifer      23459

Hope this helps, thanks again!
Steve

Sample XML file
<report>
     <column>name</column>
     <column>country</column>
     <column>group</column>
     <table>
             <date>07-13-2006
                     <group type="AAA">111111
                             <entry>
                                     <name>Adel</name>
                                     <country>USA</country>
                                     <id>12345</id>
                             </entry>
                             <entry>
                                     <name>Barry</name>
                                     <country>USA</country>
                                     <id>12346</id>
                             </entry>
                             <entry>
                                     <name>Carl</name>
                                     <country>USA</country>
                                     <id>12347</id>
                             </entry>
                     </group>
                     <group type="BBB">111111
                             <entry>
                                     <name>Dave</name>
                                     <country>USA</country>
                                     <id>12345</id>
                             </entry>
                             <entry>
                                     <name>Ethel</name>
                                     <country>USA</country>
                                     <id>12346</id>
                             </entry>
                             <entry>
                                     <name>Fred</name>
                                     <country>USA</country>
                                     <id>12347</id>
                             </entry>
                     </group>
                     <group type="CCC">111111
                             <entry>
                                     <name>George</name>
                                     <country>EUR</country>
                                     <id>24567</id>
                             </entry>
                             <entry>
                                     <name>Harold</name>
                                     <country>EUR</country>
                                     <id>23458</id>
                             </entry>
                             <entry>
                                     <name>Jennifer</name>
                                     <country>EUR</country>
                                     <id>23459</id>
                             </entry>
                     </group>
             </date>
     </table>
</report>

<?xml version='1.0'?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">

<xsl:template match="/">
     <xsl:apply-templates/>
</xsl:template>

<xsl:template match="*">
<xsl:copy>
     <xsl:copy-of select="@*"/>
     <xsl:apply-templates/>
</xsl:copy>
</xsl:template>

<xsl:template match="country[parent::entry/following-sibling::entry]">
<xsl:variable name="nextCountry"
select="parent::entry/following-sibling::entry[1]/country"/>
<xsl:choose>
<xsl:when test="$nextCountry = .">
<country><xsl:apply-templates/></country>
</xsl:when>
<xsl:otherwise>
<country><xsl:value-of select="$nextCountry"/></country>
</xsl:otherwise>
</xsl:choose>
</xsl:template>

<xsl:template match="country[not(parent::entry/following-sibling::entry)]">
<xsl:variable name="nextCountry"
select="ancestor::group/following-sibling::group[1]/entry[1]/country"/>
<xsl:choose>
<xsl:when test="$nextCountry = . or not($nextCountry)">
<country><xsl:apply-templates/></country>
</xsl:when>
<xsl:otherwise>
<country><xsl:value-of select="$nextCountry"/></country>
</xsl:otherwise>
</xsl:choose>
</xsl:template>

Against your XML above, I get Fred's Country Changing as he is the
only one who's next country differs,,, Am I reading you correctly?

> I have a problem holding on to a param or variable value in xslt.
> Setting it Globally or Locally.
>
> How can I hold onto the country value? Compare to the next
> value, if country is diff. then replace the value for that
> param with the next country value?

Please take a step back. Try to describe the problem: what's the input,
what's the required output?

It looks to me as if you are trying to code a solution using ideas learned
from other programming languages, which might not be the right way to tackle
the problem in XSLT.

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