Get the value of the current node

xml xslt xpath

25,703

The xsl:value-of element and current() function should do the trick:

<xsl:value-of select="current()"/>

I don't know the exact structure of your template, but for instance the following one outputs the language names:

<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
  <xsl:template match="/countries">
    <xsl:for-each select="country">
      <xsl:value-of select="current()"/>
    </xsl:for-each>
  </xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>

25,703

Author by

Aleski

Updated on November 26, 2020

Comments

Aleski over 3 years
I'm not overly familiar with the terminology, so I'm not even sure the title of the question is accurate but I shall try to explain best I can.

I have the below XML example.
```
<countries>
  <country name="Afghanistan" population="22664136" area="647500">
    <language percentage="11">Turkic</language>
    <language percentage="35">Pashtu</language>
    <language percentage="50">Afghan Persian</language>
  </country>
</countries>
```
I use XPath down to the language nodes (/countries/country/ and then a for-each for the languages).
```
<language percentage="11">Turkic</language>
```
Using XSLT how can I output the value of , in the above example "Turkic". I can't think of another way to phrase the question but its like I am at the node and don't know the syntax to grab the value of this node.

Thanks in advance
Aleski almost 10 years

Thanks a bunch! I didn't even know such a function existed. Are they not mentioned in the w3schools syntax guide at all or did I miss such functions? Thanks again.
joergl almost 10 years

You're welcome. Both can be found at w3schools: value-of and current().
Aisah Hamzah almost 10 years

Note: it is not a good idea to use //, which means "node by that name at any depth" (descendent-or-self). Use match="/countries" and select="country" instead, which just selects the children, and not descendants at any depth. Using // is often considered "evil" because it can introduce many subtle bugs (from overlapping nodes) and has a performance penalty (it has to go over each and every node again, as opposed to just a subset).
michael.hor257k almost 10 years

Or simply: <xsl:value-of select="."/>
Aleski almost 10 years

I understand that <xsl:value-of select="."/> is not best practice? Or at least I can remember reading that somewhere. Also I prefer "current()" because it improves code-readability over just a single "." Either way your way still works so have a +1
joergl almost 10 years

@Abel: Sure thing, thanks for pointing that out! The above template was just an example that results in the desired output. Anyways, I've edited the template with your suggestions.
michael.hor257k almost 10 years

@Aleski Using . as a shortcut for current() is common practice. As you get more familiar with XSLT, this and other shortcuts (such as .. or @) will become very readable.
Aisah Hamzah almost 10 years

@michael.hor257k: let's add to that that . is not the same as current(). In select="foo[. = 'test']" vs select="foo[current() = 'test']", the dot will change its focus to each foo element, i.e. it changes inside the XPath expression, while current() retains its focus to the current context item outside the current XPath (i.e., the context item of the current xsl:template or xsl:for-each). A small, often subtle, but important difference.
michael.hor257k almost 10 years

@Abel I never claimed they were the same. I try to restrict my comments to the context of the topic at hand.
Aisah Hamzah almost 10 years

@michael.hor257k: of course, you are right. I didn't mean to criticize you, I know you know your stuff, just wanted to emphasize a common misunderstanding about . and current(). Apologies if I came across too cross.
michael.hor257k almost 10 years

@Abel None taken. I just want to stress again, for the benefit of OP: <xsl:value-of select="current()"/> and <xsl:value-of select="."/> are exactly the same thing - says so right in the spec: w3.org/TR/xslt/#misc-func -- It should also be noted that strictly speaking, . is not a shortcut for current(); The current() function is an XSLT function, while . is an XPath abbreviation for the context node, i.e. self::node(). It just so happens that when current() is used in an outermost expression, "the current node is always the same as the context node" (ibid).
Aisah Hamzah almost 10 years

@michael.hor257k: well said/summarized, that is exactly it ;)