Xpath Issue in external document

[Crisps]

I have a an xsl stylesheet that loads a document such as:

<xsl:variable name="sb" select="document('data.xml')/root"/>

the Data xml looks something like

<root>
<function name='Test'>
<data1>data<data1>
</function>
</root>

I would like to address this later in the xsl document by selecting a node such as

<xsl:variable name="function_name" select="$sb/root/function/@name"/>

This always returns nothing. Infact so does $sb/root or $sb/root/function

I can expand the variable in xmlspy when the debugger stops at the location I am trying to use the xpath and it all looks correct. Have you any idea what I am doing wrong?

Note: The XPath doesn't work in the xmlspy debugger watch either.

 

[k5tm]

That would be because XPath cannot 'look into' an XSL variable.

So, rather than try to get something to work which will not work, please describe why/how you got to this point. In other words, what problem are you really trying to solve?

Tom Morrison

http://www.liant.com

 

[k5tm]

BTW, welcome to Tek-Tips!

 

[k5tm]

Of course, this will work:

<xsl:variable name="function_name" select="document('data.xml')/root/function/@name"/>

What's wrong with that?

Tom Morrison

http://www.liant.com

 

[Crisps]

Thanks, makes more sense.

Interestingly, $sb/*/*/@name works though. If Xpath cannot look into the variable name, why can it read the specific @name attribute?

 

[tsuji]

It will pick up the first function (tacitly and automatically) node under root.

><xsl:variable name="function_name" select="$sb/root/function/@name"/>
[tt]<xsl:variable name="function_name" select="$sb/function/@name"/>[/tt]

 

[k5tm]

Okay, I ran this with Stylus Studio. First, correct the two syntax errors in data.xml as follows:

<root>
    <function name=[COLOR=red]"Test"[/color]>
        <data1>data<[COLOR=red]/[/color]data1>
    </function>
</root>

After doing that, your original formulation ran fine.

I apologize for my misinformation. I went back to my XPath reference and rediscovered how variable references can hold node sets, a fact I have used before (but at my age I forget ).

Tom Morrison

http://www.liant.com