XSLT Elements

XSL Transformations (XSLT) can be used to manipulate, sort, and filter XML data. Many transformations will target well-formed HTML. Well-formed means that any HTML tag can be used, subject to the stricter syntax rules of XML—all start tags are paired with end tags and are nested correctly. Well-formed HTML can be displayed by the browser, or further manipulated by XML tools. The Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C) currently has a recommendation for making the next generation of HTML an XML application. The W3C XHTML™ 1.0: The Extensible HyperText Markup Language describes the benefits of defining well-formed HTML. XSLT is a valuable tool for generating well-formed HTML or other XML files.

XSLT enables you to define templates for your output, into which data from the XML source is delivered. Each template defines a pattern that identifies elements in the source tree and defines the resulting output subtree to be generated. The XSLT transformation processor merges data from the XML source document with the template. By combining a set of template fragments into a style sheet, XSLT can be used to perform data-driven transforms useful for highly irregular XML data and XML documents.

XSLT templates are defined using a small set of XML elements.

XSLT Elements

xsl:apply-imports	Invokes an overridden template rule.
xsl:apply-templates	Directs the XSLT processor to find the appropriate template to apply, based on the type and context of each selected node.
xsl:attribute	Creates an attribute node and attaches it to an output element.
xsl:attribute-set	Defines a named set of attributes.
xsl:call-template	Invokes a template by name.
xsl:choose	Provides multiple conditional testing in conjunction with the `<xsl:otherwise>` element and `<xsl:when>` element.
xsl:comment	Generates a comment in the output.
xsl:copy	Copies the current node from the source to the output.
xsl:copy-of	Inserts subtrees and result tree fragments into the result tree.
xsl:decimal-format	Declares a decimal-format, which controls the interpretation of a format pattern used by the `format-number` function.
xsl:element	Creates an element with the specified name in the output.
xsl:fallback	Calls template content that can provide a reasonable substitute to the behavior of the new element when encountered.
xsl:for-each	Applies a template repeatedly, applying it in turn to each node in a set.
xsl:if	Allows simple conditional template fragments.
xsl:import	Imports another XSLT file.
xsl:include	Includes another XSLT file.
xsl:key	Declares a named key for use with the `key ()` function in XML Path Language (XPath) expressions.
xsl:message	Sends a text message to either the message buffer or a message dialog box.
xsl:namespace-alias	Replaces the prefix associated with a given namespace with another prefix.
xsl:number	Inserts a formatted number into the result tree.
xsl:otherwise	Provides multiple conditional testing in conjunction with the `<xsl:choose>` element and `<xsl:when>` element.
xsl:output	Specifies options for use in serializing the result tree.
xsl:param	Declares a named parameter for use within an `<xsl:stylesheet>` element or an `<xsl:template>` element. Allows specification of a default value.
xsl:preserve-space	Preserves white space in a document.
xsl:processing-instruction	Generates a processing instruction in the output.
msxsl:script *	Defines global variables and functions for script extensions.
xsl:sort	Specifies sort criteria for node lists selected by `<xsl:for-each>` or `<xsl:apply-templates>`.
xsl:strip-space	Strips white space from a document.
xsl:stylesheet	Specifies the document element of an XSLT file, containing all other XSLT elements.
xsl:template	Defines a reusable template for generating the desired output for nodes of a particular type and context.
xsl:text	Generates text in the output.
xsl:transform	Synonym for `<xsl:stylesheet>`.
xsl:value-of	Inserts the value of the selected node as text.
xsl:variable	Specifies a value bound in an expression.
xsl:when	Provides multiple conditional testing in conjunction with the `<xsl:choose>` element and `<xsl:otherwise>` element.
xsl:with-param	Passes a parameter to a template.

* Microsoft proprietary extensions to support scripting

Other Resources

XHTML™ 1.0: The Extensible HyperText Markup Language

XSLT Elements

XSLT Elements

See Also

Other Resources