XSLT

Name

<xsl:variable> — Defines a variable. If <xsl:variable> occurs as a top-level element, it is a global variable that is accessible throughout the stylesheet. Otherwise, the variable is local and exists only in the element that contains the <xsl:variable>. The value of the variable can be defined in one of two ways: specified in the select attribute or defined in an XSLT template inside the <xsl:variable> element itself. If neither method is used, the value of the variable is an empty string.

Category

Either a top-level element or an instruction

Required Attributes

name

An attribute that names this variable.

Optional Attributes

select

An XPath expression that defines the value of this variable.

Content

The <xsl:variable> element can be empty, or it can contain an XSLT template. If it contains an XSLT template, the value of the select attribute (if any exists) is ignored.

Appears in

<xsl:stylesheet> as a top-level element or in a template.

Defined in

XSLT section 11, Variables and Parameters.

Example

Here is a stylesheet that defines a number of variables:

<?xml version="1.0"?> <xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"> <xsl:output method="text"/> <xsl:variable name="newline"> <xsl:text> </xsl:text> </xsl:variable> <xsl:variable name="favoriteNumber" select="23"/> <xsl:variable name="favoriteColor" select="'blue'"/> <xsl:variable name="complicatedVariable"> <xsl:choose> <xsl:when test="count(//listitem) > 10"> <xsl:text>really long list</xsl:text> </xsl:when> ...