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Re: [xsl] Proposed syntax for namespace binding in XPath


Subject: Re: [xsl] Proposed syntax for namespace binding in XPath
From: David Carlisle <davidc@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2007 10:25:59 +0100

Colin> I think an extension function is the right approach,

But I think the fact that the extension function (to be portable) has to
be in a namespace bound to a prefix, gives a chicken and egg problem
with using an extension function to bind prefixes, doesn't it?

I can't say I really approve of XQuery syntax much but it's there and
the story that XQuery and XSLT use the same shared core anguage for
making queries, and each then have different extensions and syntax for control
constructs and node creation, is more or less consistently followed.
Adding some XQuery syntax that affects the static namespace bindings of
an XPath expression would be consistent with that story I think.
Clearly though this would have to be xpath 2.1.

I suspect that combined XQuery/XSLT systems are going to be more rather
than less common in future (either as single products doing both, like
saxon) or xml databases doing xquery, but calling out to xslt to present
teh xquery extracted data (exist-like) so keeping xpath and xquery
closely aligned will make it easier for users. (It may also make it
marginally easier for language implementors, but I care less about them,
they'll cope with whatever syntax is thought up:-)


David


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