number

The <xsl:number> element counts things sequentially. It can also be used to quickly format a number.

Syntax

<xsl:number
	count=EXPRESSION
	level="single" | "multiple" | "any"
	from=EXPRESSION
	value=EXPRESSION
	format=FORMAT-STRING
	lang=XML:LANG-CODE
	letter-value="alphabetic" | "traditional"
	grouping-separator=CHARACTER
	grouping-size=NUMBER  />

Required Attributes

None.

Optional Attributes

count

Specifies what in the source tree should be numbered sequentially. It uses an XPath expression.

level

Defines how levels of the source tree should be considered in generating sequential numbers. It has three valid values: single, multiple, and any. The default value is single:

single

Numbers sibling nodes sequentially, as in the items in a list. The processor goes to the first node in the ancestor-or-self axis that matches the count attribute and then counts that node plus all its preceding siblings (stopping when it reaches a match to the from attribute, if there is one) that also match the count attribute.If no match is found, the sequence will be an empty list.

multiple

Numbers nodes as a composite sequence that reflects the hierarchic position of the node, e.g. 1.2.2.5. (The nested format can be specified with the format attribute, e.g. A.1.1). The processor looks at all ancestors of the current node and the current node itself, stopping when it reaches a match for the from attribute, if there is one. For each node in this list that matches the count attribute, the processor counts how many preceding matching siblings it has, and adds one for the node itself. If no match is found, the sequence will be an empty list.

any (Not supported at this time.)

Numbers all matching nodes, regardless of level, sequentially. The ancestor, self, and preceding axes are all considered. The processor starts at the current node and proceeds in reverse document order, stopping if it reaches a match to any from attribute. If no match to the count attribute is found, the sequence will be an empty list. This level is not supported at this time.

from

Specifies where the numbering should start or start over. The sequence begins with the first descendant of the node that matches the from attribute.

value

Applies a given format to a number. This is a quick way to format a user-supplied number (as opposed to a node sequence number) in any of the standard <xsl:number> formats.

format

Defines the format of the generated number:

format="1"

<tt>1 2 3 . . .</tt> (This is the only format supported at this time)

format="01"

<tt>01 02 03 . . . 09 10 11 . . .</tt>

format="a"

<tt>a b c . . .y z aa ab . . .</tt>

format="A"

<tt>A B C . . . Y Z AA AB . . .</tt>

format="i"

<tt>i ii iii iv v . . .</tt>

format="I"

<tt>I II III IV V . . .</tt>

lang (Not supported at this time.)

Specifies which language's alphabet should be used in letter-based numbering formats.

letter-value

Disambiguates between numbering sequences that use letters. Some languages have more than one numbering system that use letters. If both systems begin with the same token, ambiguity can arise. This attribute can have the value "alphabetic" or "traditional". The default is "alphabetic".

grouping-separator

Specifies what character should be used as the group (e.g. thousands) separator. The default is the comma (,).

grouping-size

Indicates the number of digits that make up a numeric group. The default value is "3".

Type

Instruction, appears within a template.

Defined

XSLT, section 7.7

Gecko support

Partial support. See comments above.