Help with xsl sort Please.

[MathGeek78]

Hi,

I am not exactly sure how the following code is working within the select portion. Can someone please explain this part of the code?

<xsl:sort select="if ($sortColumn1/@numeric = 'true') then number(*[name() = $sortColumn1]) else *[name() = $sortColumn1]" order="{$sortOrder1}"/>

Thank You,
Ruben

 

[tsuji]

I can summarize the ordering of the sort like this:
[1] It is an xslt 2.0 sort element.
[2] $sortColumn1 is evaluated to an element with a text node child which will be matched with some element name() in the template or for-each construct.
[3] During the matching (either the template select or for-each context nodes, two things happen
[3.1] Either the name() matches up with the text content of $solColumn1;
[3.1.1] In that case, if that element's text content can be converted to number (number() function succeeds), it would be classified into higher-order-index block.
[3.1.2] If the element's text content cannot be converted to number successfully, it would be classified into lower-order-index block.
[3.2] Or the name() does not match up with the text content of the same, then all those elements will be classified into the lower order index block.
[4] Within the higher-order-index block, the elements will be ordered according to the ordering of number, if "numeric" attribute be "true" or according to the order of string (now some language-dependence may come in) if "number" attribute be anything other than "true".
[5] Within the lower-order-index block, the elements will be ordered according to the document order or no sort at all: here a bit of implementation dependence may come in.
[6] The final order will be following the $sortOrder, which must take on the value of either ascending or descending: either from lower-order to higher-order for "ascending" or from higher-order to lower-order for "descending".
[7] Clear? As mud?