Wendell:
> ><xsl:template match="step1|step2...">
> >   <xsl:variable name="currentId" select="@id"/>
> >   <xsl:for-each select="$steps">
> >     <xsl:value-of select="step[@id = $currentId]/@number"/>
> 
> 1. This will only work when using XSLT 2.0, or a node-set extension 
> function, since ordinarily (in XSLT 1.0) you cannot iterate 
> over, or query 
> into, a result-tree-fragment this way.

True.  But there's no need to spell *everything* out is there?  Surely a
point in the right direction is better than a 'cut and paste' in the
long run...

> 2. Even so, how is it better than simply calculating the 
> number of each 
> step using the same <xsl:number count="step1|step2|..." ... 
> /> instruction, 
> where you need it?
> 
> <xsl:template match="step1|step2...">
>    <xsl:variable name="currentId" select="@id"/>
>    <xsl:for-each select="$steps">
>      <xsl:value-of select="step[@id = $currentId]/@number"/>
>      ...
> 
> could as easily be
> 
> <xsl:template match="step1|step2...">
>    <xsl:number count="step1|step2....| " .../>
> 
> (Look ma, no variable.)

I recognise the element names and have worked on this kind of dtd for a
few years, so (I think) I know the requirements even if norma didn't
quite spell them out :)

I still stand by using variables in this situation, they really help
maintaining and debugging the process involved.

cheers
andrew

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