XPath: Select a node based on value of another node using XSLT

Question

[I've looked at similar questions but none I found answer this, please do not mark a duplicate without actually reading it]

How would I select a node using the contents of savetype in xslt.

eg in this example savetype=dexterity so I want the value of

<xsl:value-of select="/root/character/abilities/dexterity/bonus"/>

Is there anyway to do this without a <xsl:choose> statement, can I build the XPATH statement from the value of savetype

Sample file

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<root version="3.1" release="7|CoreRPG:3">
  <character>
     <abilities>
        <charisma>
           <bonus type="number">-1</bonus>
        </charisma>
        <constitution>
           <bonus type="number">2</bonus>
        </constitution>
        <dexterity>
           <bonus type="number">2</bonus>
        </dexterity>
     </abilities>
     <powers>
        <id-00005>
           <actions>
              <id-00001>
                 <savetype type="string">dexterity</savetype>
              </id-00001>
           </actions>
        </id-00005>
     </powers>
  </character>
</root>

michael.hor257k · Accepted Answer · 2016-05-28 01:00:48Z

2

can I build the XPATH statement from the value of savetype

Yes. Try:

<xsl:value-of select="/root/character/abilities/*[name()=//savetype]/bonus" />

Another option is to use a key. Define a key at the top level of your stylesheet as:

<xsl:key name="k" match="abilities/*" use="name()" />

then use:

<xsl:value-of select="key('k', //savetype)/bonus" />

answered May 28, 2016 at 1:00

michael.hor257k

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2 Comments

Adrian Cornish Over a year ago

Could you explain what the * is for - almost looks like a pointer deference to me. I am guessing the part in [] is creating a node called whatever the value of savetype is. Also is // needed on savetype? Sorry - I'm new at xslt

michael.hor257k Over a year ago

@Adrian You are asking for an XPath tutorial, which I cannot provide in a comment. Briefly: * is wildcard that stands for any element, [] indicates a predicate, and in order to select the savetype element you need to provide a path to it - either a relative or an absolute one. Since the context is unknown, I have used an absolute one.

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