At 11:46 AM 3/6/2003, Andrew wrote:
Up there with <xsl:variable> in the list of all-time-confusing-things for
beginners is the use of xsl:for-each, it really doesnt help anyone
understand the idea of how a processor applies a stylesheet.
(IMHO it shouldnt be taught before apply-templates, but always is)
At Mulberry, we don't teach xsl:for-each till late on Day Two. If you get
templates, for-each is easy. If you don't, for-each is likely to fool you.
Anything you do with a for-each, you can do with templates (and a mode if
need be). In our course, students are writing stylesheets with modes on Day
One (soon after lunch, if they're reasonably speedy). The only time this
option isn't available is when writing a Literal Result Element As
Stylesheet -- something that actually seems to happen fairly rarely in my
experience.
Cheers,
Wendell
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Wendell Piez
mailto:wapiez(_at_)mulberrytech(_dot_)com
Mulberry Technologies, Inc. http://www.mulberrytech.com
17 West Jefferson Street Direct Phone: 301/315-9635
Suite 207 Phone: 301/315-9631
Rockville, MD 20850 Fax: 301/315-8285
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