Re: [xsl] Why does using the XSL namespace default namespace preclude literal result elements in the empty namespace?

[Aaron Hope <edh at brioforge dot com>]

Trevor Nash wrote:

>Because namespace-alias is used to swap one namespace for another.  It
>has nothing to do with what prefix the XSLT processor uses in the
>output: you do not get any control over this, though most processors
>try to follow what is in the input.
>It is a feature of the namespace recommendation that the empty
>namespace cannot be associated with a prefix.  I.e. you can say
>xmlns="" but not xmlns:null="".  If you want the empty namespace in
>the output, then you have to reserve the default namespace for literal
>result elements.  I guess somebody somewhere knows why?
>
Yes, please, "Why" is exactly what i'm looking for.

>
>One way to address this problem, and other perceived shortcomings of
>XSLT syntax, is to write a stylesheet which takes something like
>
><stylesheet>
><template match="/">
>  <h:html/>
></template>
></stylesheet>
>
>and produces
>
><xsl:stylesheet
> xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"; version="1.0"
>
><xsl:template match="/">
>  <html/>
></xsl:template>
></xsl:stylesheet>
>
>Its not hard.  Though you will have to understand what namespace-alias
>really does, and you may end up finding out more than you really want
>to know about white space handling ;-)
>
I suppose this is the most attractive approach.  Thanks for the suggestion!

As to the "perceived" part, don't you see this as a shortcoming? 
 Personnaly I find
such unnecessarily low signal to noise ratios mildly offensive.  (Messy 
in life,
anal retentive in code ;)  It was one of the most off-putting things 
about xsl
when we first met, an "Eww, gross" factor that kept me away for quite 
awhile.
I've since become aclimated to xml, and, well, I see xsl as our only 
chance for
a semantic web.  I *have* to like it.

aaron

>
>Regards,
>Trevor Nash
>--
>Traditional training & distance learning,
>Consultancy by email
>
>Melvaig Software Engineering Limited
>voice:     +44 (0) 1445 771 271 
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>
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>.
>




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