Jesper Tverskov element-function-available.xsl http://www.xmlplease.com/element-function-available.xsl 1.1 2008-10-23 2008-10-22 2 1 Elements and functions available in <xsl:choose> <xsl:when test="system-property('xsl:version') = '2.0'"> <xsl:value-of select="concat(system-property('xsl:product-name'), ' ', system-property('xsl:product-version'))"/> </xsl:when> <xsl:otherwise> <xsl:choose> <xsl:when test="$name != ''"> <xsl:value-of select="$name"/> </xsl:when> <xsl:otherwise> <xsl:value-of select="system-property('xsl:vendor')"/> </xsl:otherwise> </xsl:choose> </xsl:otherwise> </xsl:choose>

Report based on
Report generated

: Elements and Functions Available

1. The XSLT stylesheet behind the report

With the help of the XSLT functions element-available() and function-available(), the XSLT stylesheet, element-function-available.xsl, tests:

  1. If instruction elements in XSLT and functions in XSLT and XPath are available in the XSLT processor.

  2. If EXSLT extensions are available.

  3. If proprietary Saxon extension instruction elements and functions are available in Saxon processors.

Note that:

  • AltovaXML supports no extensions of any kind. If the transformation takes place from inside an ordinary programming language the parameter method can help AltovaXML out.

  • Many XSLT 1.0 processors have their own proprietary sets of extensions which I am not testing. We test for Saxon extensions because of the importance of Saxon in XSLT 2.0.

  • There are other extensions than elements and functions which we can't test with element-available() and function-available(). Saxon extensions, e.g., include a few extension attributes and additional serialization parameters.

  • If an XSLT processor has a "script" extension element, often named "prefix:script", the programming languages supported can be used from inside the XSLT stylesheet. This makes it easy to use the functions of those programming languages when needed.

  • In e.g. Saxon, it is fairly easy to make additional extension functions in Java or .Net. Example: XSLT 2.0 extensions for Saxon made by Florent Georges.

  • We are only testing what the processor reports. We must use the element and function for real to see if it really is implemented or not and if the implementation is in accordance with the specs.

2. XSLT and XPath

2.1 XSLT/XPath Functions

We can use function-available() to test if an XSLT or XPath function or even an extension function is available in an XSLT processor. Right below we test for XSLT/XPath functions, later we are going to test for extension function.

altcolor color:red
No XSLT/XPath Function Available Spec

2.2 XSLT Elements

The XSLTstandards (Recommendations) say (2.0 more clearly than 1.0) that element-available() is about instruction elements. This means that non-instruction elements like declaration elements, e.g. xsl:strip-space and xsl:output, and sub-elements of instruction elements like xsl:when and xsl:sort can't be tested with element-available(). It is very confusing that non-instruction elements return "false" as if they don't exist.

Some XSLT processors like AltovaXML 2008 and MSXML 3.0 return true for all implemented elements. XMLSpy 2008 returns true for all elements except for xsl:strip-space (not implemented) and xsl-preserve-space (not implemented) and xsl:transform (implemented). The last one must be a bug. Element-available()would be more useful and less confusing if also Saxon returned "true" for any element implemented.

2.2.1 Warning

If element-available() returns "false" for all non-instruction elements, the "false" will be high-lighted with red but the elements are probably supported anyway. The "false" for non-instruction elements most often just means that the element is not an instruction element. If only some of the non-instruction elements return "false", as in AltovaXML, they are probably not available.

If an instruction-element returns "false", we always have a real problem.

altcolor negative
No XSLT Element Available
 (not instruction)

3. User-defined XSLT functions

Before we continue with extension elements and functions, let us not forget user-defined XSLT functions. That is collections of functions using named templates, the xsl:function element in XSLT 2.0, etc., and based on standard XSLT functionality.

Here is a list of some collections of user-defined XSLT-functions:

  1. Priscilla Walmsley's The FunctX XSLT 2.0 Function Library. Here we have many small examples of how to use XSLT/XPath functions and additional user-defined functions using the "functx" prefix.

  2. Peter Rushforth's Geofunctions, an open-source library of XSLT / functions, templates, stylesheets and classes devoted to the processing of geographic data in XML.

  3. Dimitre Novatchev's FXSL, "the functional programming library for XSLT".

  4. Xia Li's function library that enables applications to use XPath 2.0 schema-related node tests.

4. Saxon Extensions

Saxon's extensions are not necessarily relevant for Saxon only. If you use another XSLT processor, it can be nice to know what extensions are available in the trendsetting Saxon XSLT 2.0 processor. It can give you a hint for what to look or ask for in the XSLT processor you use. If some new XSLT 2.0 processor needs extensions, why not implement Saxon's?

A few of Saxon's extensions are only available in the "SA" (schema-aware) version.

4.1 Saxon Extension Functions

Many of Saxon's extension functions are unique, adding functionality to XSLT.2.0

altcolor color:red
No Saxon Function Available

4.2 Saxon Extension Elements

Many of Saxon's extension elements are unique, adding functionality to XSLT.2.0

altcolor color:red
No Saxon Element Available
 (not instruction)

5. EXSLT Extensions

EXSLT is a community initiative to provide extensions to XSLT. This was needed for XSLT 1.0 having limited functionality and very few functions. Almost anything in EXSLT made it into XSLT 2.0 making EXSLT less relevant today with few exceptions like the math functions. EXSLT is still a necessity if we must make stylesheets that work both in XSLT 2.0 processors an in XSLT 1.0 processors.

5.1 EXSL Dates and Times Functions

Except for date:parse-date() the functions in EXSLT DATES AND TIMES are irrelevant in XSLT 2.0 having similar functions. If we need to make stylesheets that work both in XSLT 2.0 and in XSLT 1.0, EXSL extensions can some times help us out if supported in older XSLT processors.

altcolor color:red
No EXSL Function Available

5.2 EXSL Dates and Times Elements

Extension element in EXSLT DATES AND TIMES is irrelevant in XSLT 2.0 having a similar element.

altcolor color:red
No EXSL Element Available
 (not instruction)

5.3 EXSL Dynamic Functions

Except for dyn:evaluate() the functions in EXSLT - DYNAMIC are irrelevant in XSLT/XPath 2.0 having similar functions. Saxon has a better and more complete set of "evaluate" functions. "Evaluate" makes it possible to create XPath expressions dynamically. Expressions in pure XPath can not be created dynamically except that predicates can contain variables.

altcolor color:red
No EXSL Function Available

5.4 EXSL Common Functions

Functions in EXSLT Common are irrelevant in XSLT/XPath 2.0 having similar functions.

altcolor color:red
No EXSL Function Available

5.5 EXSL Common Elements

Elements in EXSLT Common are irrelevant in XSLT 2.0 having similar elements.

altcolor color:red
No EXSL Element Available
 (not instruction)

5.6 EXSL Functions Elements

Elements in EXSLT Functions are irrelevant in XSLT/XPath 2.0 having similar elements.

altcolor color:red
No EXSL Element Available
 (not instruction)

5.7 EXSL Math Functions

Most of the functions in EXSLT Math are still very relevant in XSLT 2.0.

altcolor color:red
No EXSL Function Available

5.8 EXSL Random Functions

The random() function in EXSLT Random is still relevant in XSLT 2.0.

altcolor color:red
No EXSL Function Available

5.9 EXSL Regular Expressions Functions

Functions in EXSLT Regular Expressions are irrelevant in XSLT/XPath 2.0 having similar functionality.

altcolor color:red
No EXSL Function Available

5.10 EXSL Sets Functions

Functions in EXSLT Sets are irrelevant in XSLT/XPath 2.0 having similar functionality.

altcolor color:red
No EXSL Function Available

5.11 EXSL String Functions

Functions in EXSLT Strings are irrelevant in XSLT 2.0 having similar functionality.

altcolor color:red
No EXSL Function Available

END

 boolean ceiling concat contains count current document element-available false format-number function-available generate-id id key lang last local-name name namespace-uri normalize-space not number position round starts-with string string-length substring substring-after substring-before sum system-property translate true unparsed-entity-uri abs adjust-date-to-timezone adjust-dateTime-to-timezone adjust-time-to-timezone avg base-uri boolean ceiling codepoint-equal codepoints-to-string collection compare concat contains count current current-date current-dateTime current-group current-grouping-key current-time data dateTime day-from-date day-from-dateTime days-from-duration deep-equal default-collation distinct-values doc doc-available document document-uri element-available empty encode-for-uri ends-with error escape-html-uri exactly-one exists false floor format-date format-dateTime format-number format-time function-available generate-id hours-from-dateTime hours-from-duration hours-from-time id idref implicit-timezone in-scope-prefixes index-of insert-before iri-to-uri key lang last local-name local-name-from-QName lower-case matches max min minutes-from-dateTime minutes-from-duration minutes-from-time month-from-date month-from-dateTime months-from-duration name namespace-uri namespace-uri-for-prefix namespace-uri-from-QName nilled node-name normalize-space normalize-unicode not number one-or-more position prefix-from-QName QName regex-group remove replace resolve-QName resolve-uri reverse root round round-half-to-even seconds-from-dateTime seconds-from-duration seconds-from-time starts-with static-base-uri string string-join string-length string-to-codepoints subsequence substring substring-after substring-before sum system-property timezone-from-date timezone-from-dateTime timezone-from-time tokenize trace translate true type-available unordered unparsed-entity-public-id unparsed-entity-uri unparsed-text unparsed-text-available upper-case year-from-date year-from-dateTime years-from-duration zero-or-one xsl:apply-imports xsl:apply-templates xsl:attribute xsl:attribute-set xsl:call-template xsl:choose xsl:comment xsl:copy xsl:copy-of xsl:decimal-format xsl:element xsl:fallback xsl:for-each xsl:if xsl:import xsl:include xsl:key xsl:message xsl:namespace-alias xsl:number xsl:otherwise xsl:output xsl:param xsl:preserve-space xsl:processing-instruction xsl:sort xsl:strip-space xsl:stylesheet xsl:template xsl:text xsl:transform xsl:value-of xsl:variable xsl:when xsl:with-param xsl:analyze-string xsl:apply-imports xsl:apply-templates xsl:attribute xsl:attribute-set xsl:call-template xsl:character-map xsl:choose xsl:comment xsl:copy xsl:copy-of xsl:decimal-format xsl:document xsl:element xsl:fallback xsl:for-each xsl:for-each-group xsl:function xsl:if xsl:import xsl:import-schema xsl:include xsl:key xsl:matching-substring xsl:message xsl:namespace xsl:namespace-alias xsl:next-match xsl:non-matching-substring xsl:number xsl:otherwise xsl:output xsl:output-character xsl:param xsl:perform-sort xsl:preserve-space xsl:processing-instruction xsl:result-document xsl:sequence xsl:sort xsl:strip-space xsl:stylesheet xsl:template xsl:text xsl:transform xsl:value-of xsl:variable xsl:when xsl:with-param saxon:analyze-string saxon:base64Binary-to-octets saxon:base64Binary-to-string saxon:call saxon:column-number saxon:compile-query saxon:compile-stylesheet saxon:decimal-divide saxon:deep-equal saxon:discard-document saxon:eval saxon:evaluate saxon:evaluate-node saxon:expression saxon:file-last-modified saxon:find saxon:for-each-group saxon:format-dateTime saxon:format-number saxon:function saxon:generate-id saxon:get-pseudo-attribute saxon:has-same-nodes saxon:hexBinary-to-octets saxon:hexBinary-to-string saxon:highest saxon:index saxon:in-summer-time saxon:is-whole-number saxon:item-at saxon:last-modified saxon:leading saxon:line-number saxon:lowest saxon:namespace-node saxon:stream saxon:octets-to-base64Binary saxon:octets-to-hexBinary saxon:parse saxon:path saxon:print-stack saxon:query saxon:result-document saxon:serialize saxon:sort saxon:string-to-base64Binary saxon:string-to-hexBinary saxon:string-to-utf8 saxon:system-id saxon:transform saxon:try saxon:type-annotation saxon:unparsed-entities saxon:assign saxon:break saxon:call-template saxon:collation saxon:doctype saxon:entity-ref saxon:import-query saxon:iterate saxon:script saxon:while date:add date:add-duration date:date date:date-time date:day-abbreviation date:day-in-month date:day-in-week date:day-in-year date:day-name date:day-of-week-in-month date:difference date:duration date:format-date date:hour-in-day date:leap-year date:minute-in-hour date:month-abbreviation date:month-in-year date:month-name date:parse-date date:second-in-minute date:seconds date:sum date:time date:week-in-month date:week-in-year date:year date:date-format dyn:closure dyn:evaluate dyn:map dyn:max dyn:min dyn:sum exsl:node-set exsl:object-type exsl:document func:function func:result func:script math:abs math:acos math:asin math:atan math:atan2 math:constant math:cos math:exp math:highest math:log math:lowest math:max math:min math:power math:random math:sin math:sqrt math:tan random:random-sequence regexp:match regexp:replace regexp:test set:difference set:distinct set:has-same-node set:intersection set:leading set:trailing str:align str:concat str:decode-uri str:encode-uri str:padding str:replace str:split str:tokenize Section 1 renamed and partly rewritten and link to Florent Georges added. First published.