XSL String Functions

The function string() transforms the argument into a string. This function is not been usualy directly used in the stylesheets as in most cases called by a default. XSL stylesheet 1 shows the examples of the number into string conversion. Notice the results of the zero divisions.

XML Source

<source>
<number>9</number>
<number>0</number>
<number>-9</number>
<number/>
</source>

Output

<P>9</P>
<P>NaN</P>
<P>9/0 = Infinity</P>
<P>-9/0 = -Infinity</P>
<P>0/0 = NaN</P>

XSL stylesheet

<xsl:stylesheet version = '1.0'
xmlns:xsl='http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform'>
<xsl:variable name="A" select="number(//number[1])"/>
<xsl:variable name="B" select="number(//number[2])"/>
<xsl:variable name="C" select="number(//number[3])"/>
<xsl:variable name="D" select="number(//number[4])"/>
<xsl:template match="/">
<P>
<xsl:value-of select="string(number($A))"/>
</P>
<P>
<xsl:value-of select="string(number($D))"/>
</P>
<P>
<xsl:value-of select="$A"/>
<xsl:text>/</xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="$B"/>
<xsl:text> = </xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="string($A div $B)"/>
</P>
<P>
<xsl:value-of select="$C"/>
<xsl:text>/</xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="$B"/>
<xsl:text> = </xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="string($C div $B)"/>
</P>
<P>
<xsl:value-of select="$B"/>
<xsl:text>/</xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="$B"/>
<xsl:text> = </xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="$B div $B"/>
</P>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>

Concatination

String concat function returns the concatenation of the arguments passed to it.

XML Source

<source>
<text>Start</text>
<text>Body</text>
<text>Finish</text>
</source>

Output

<P>Start - Body - Finish</P>

XSL stylesheet

<xsl:stylesheet version = '1.0'
xmlns:xsl='http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform'>
<xsl:variable name="T" select="concat(//text[1],' - ',//text[2],' - ',//text[3])"/>
<xsl:template match="/">
<P>
<xsl:value-of select="$T"/>
</P>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>

Sarts-With Function

A starts-with function do returns true if first argument string starts with a second argument string, otherwise it will return false. Contains function do returns true if first argument string do contains second argument string, otherwise it will return false.

XML Source

<source>
<text>Welcome to XSL world.</text>
<string>Welcome</string>
<string>XSL</string>
<string>XML</string>
</source>

Output

<TABLE border="1">
<TR>
<TH colspan="3">Welcome to XSL world.</TH>
</TR>
<TR>
<TH>string</TH>
<TH>starts-with</TH>
<TH>contains</TH>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Welcome</TD>
<TD>true</TD>
<TD>true</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>XSL</TD>
<TD>false</TD>
<TD>true</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>XML</TD>
<TD>false</TD>
<TD>false</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>

XSL stylesheet

<xsl:stylesheet version = '1.0'
xmlns:xsl='http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform'>
<xsl:template match="/">
<TABLE border="1">
<TR>
<TH colspan="3">
<xsl:value-of select="//text"/>
</TH>
</TR>
<TR>
<TH>string</TH>
<TH>starts-with</TH>
<TH>contains</TH>
</TR>
<xsl:for-each select="//string">
<TR>
<TD>
<xsl:value-of select="."/>
</TD>
<TD>
<xsl:value-of select="starts-with(//text,.)"/>
</TD>
<TD>
<xsl:value-of select="contains(//text,.)"/>
</TD>
</TR>
</xsl:for-each>
</TABLE>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>

Substring-Before Function

Substring-before function do return an substring of first argument string which precedes the substring-after the function which follows first occurrence of a second argument string in first argument string. Substring function returns a substring of first argument starting at a position specified in second argument with the length specified in third argument. If third argument is not been specified, it does returns the substring starting at a position specified in a second argument and continuing till the end of a string. The Counting do starts with 1.

XML Source

<source>
<text>Welcome to XSL world.</text>
<string>XSL</string>
<start>4</start>
<end>10</end>
</source>

Output

<DIV>
<B>Text: </B>Welcome to XSL world.</DIV>
<B>Text before XSL: </B>Welcome to <DIV>
<B>Text after XSL: </B> world.</DIV>
<DIV>
<B>Text from position 4: </B>come to XSL world.</DIV>
<DIV> <B>Text from position 4 of length 10: </B>come to XS</DIV>

XSL stylesheet

<xsl:stylesheet version = '1.0'
xmlns:xsl='http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform'>
<xsl:template match="/">
<DIV>
<B>
<xsl:text>Text: </xsl:text>
</B>
<xsl:value-of select="//text"/>
</DIV>
<B>
<xsl:text>Text before </xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="//string"/>
<xsl:text>: </xsl:text>
</B>
<xsl:value-of select="substring-before(//text,//string)"/>
<DIV>
<B>
<xsl:text>Text after </xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="//string"/>
<xsl:text>: </xsl:text>
</B>
<xsl:value-of select="substring-after(//text,//string)"/>
</DIV>
<DIV>
<B>
<xsl:text>Text from position </xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="//start"/>
<xsl:text>: </xsl:text>
</B>
<xsl:value-of select="substring(//text,//start)"/>
</DIV>
<DIV>
<B>
<xsl:text>Text from position </xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="//start"/>
<xsl:text> of length </xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="//end"/>
<xsl:text>: </xsl:text>
</B>
<xsl:value-of select="substring(//text,//start,//end)"/>
</DIV>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>

String-Length Function

"string-length" function does return number of characters in a string. "normalize-space" function does return the argument string with a white space normalized by the stripping leading and trailing a whitespace and replacing the sequences of whitespace characters by the single white space.

XML Source

<source>
<P>
<text>Normalized text</text>
<text>Sequences of whitespace characters</text>
<text> Leading and trailing whitespace. </text>
</P>
</source>

Output

<TABLE>
<TR>
<TH colspan="4">Normalized text</TH>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Starting length:</TD>
<TD>15</TD>
<TD>Normalized length:</TD>
<TD>15</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TH colspan="4">Sequences of whitespace characters</TH>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Starting length:</TD>
<TD>41</TD>
<TD>Normalized length:</TD>
<TD>34</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TH colspan="4"> Leading and trailing whitespace. </TH>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Starting length:</TD>
<TD>40</TD>
<TD>Normalized length:</TD>
<TD>32</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>

XSL stylesheet

<xsl:stylesheet version = '1.0'
xmlns:xsl='http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform'>
<xsl:template match="/">
<TABLE>
<xsl:for-each select="//text">
<TR>
<TH colspan="4">
<xsl:value-of select="."/>
</TH>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD>Starting length:</TD>
<TD>
<xsl:value-of select="string-length(.)"/>
</TD>
<TD>Normalized length:</TD>
<TD>
<xsl:value-of select="string-length(normalize-space(.))"/> </TD>
</TR>
</xsl:for-each>
</TABLE>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>

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