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What does position() really return
- To: "xsl-list at lists dot mulberrytech dot com" <xsl-list at lists dot mulberrytech dot com>
- Subject: [xsl] What does position() really return
- From: "Jan Mazac" <jwm at biss-net dot com>
- Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2001 23:19:22 +0100
- Reply-To: xsl-list at lists dot mulberrytech dot com
Hi,
I'm trying to find out, what the position() function really returns.
Browsing through the archive, some books and what's on the Internet
and experimenting with it only increases my confusion. I have the
following XML/XSL-code:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<Personen>
<Person>Jan</Person>
<Person>Peter</Person>
<Person>George</Person>
<Person>Danny</Person>
</Personen>
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1" ?>
<xsl:stylesheet
version="1.0"
xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform";>
<xsl:output encoding="iso-8859-1" method="html" indent="yes"/>
<xsl:template match="/">
<html>
<head>
<title>Testfile</title>
</head>
<body>
<xsl:apply-templates/>
</body>
</html>
</xsl:template>
<xsl:template match="Personen">
<xsl:apply-templates/>
</xsl:template>
<xsl:template match="Person">
<p>Output: <xsl:value-of select="position()"/>
<xsl:text>, </xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="."/>
</p>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>
Running this with Saxon (Instant-Saxon, version 6.2.1 under Win98)
produces the following result (result 1):
Output: 2, Jan
Output: 4, Peter
Output: 6, George
Output: 8, Danny
Changing the "Personen" template to:
<xsl:template match="Personen">
<xsl:apply-templates>
<xsl:sort select="."/>
</xsl:apply-templates>
</xsl:template>
generates (result 2):
Output: 6, Danny
Output: 7, George
Output: 8, Jan
Output: 9, Peter
and once more changing "Personen" to:
<xsl:template match="Personen">
<xsl:apply-templates select="Person">
<xsl:sort select="."/>
</xsl:apply-templates>
</xsl:template>
results in (result 3):
Output: 1, Danny
Output: 2, George
Output: 3, Jan
Output: 4, Peter
My confusion comes from the following:
- I have expected the position numbers *always* in the range between 1 and 4
- Why are the position values in result 1 multiples of 2 ?
- Why are results 2 and 3 different (in terms of the position numbers) ?
Thanks in advance
Jan
___________________________________________________________________
BISS GmbH, Chaukenweg 12, D-26388 Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Phone: +49 4423 9289-0, Fax: +49 4423 9289-99
Dr. Jan Mazac, mailto: jwm@biss-net.com
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