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"
      • : 1 2 3 . . . (This is the only format supported at this time)
    • format="01"
      • : 01 02 03 . . . 09 10 11 . . .
    • format="a"
      • : a b c . . .y z aa ab . . .
    • format="A"
      • : A B C . . . Y Z AA AB . . .
    • format="i"
      • : i ii iii iv v . . .
    • format="I"
      • : I II III IV V . . .

• 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.

Specifications

XSLT, section 7.7

Gecko support

Partial support. See comments above.