How to Properly Retrieve Values from XML Using XSLT's document Function

Learn how to effectively get values from an XML document in XSLT using the `document` function. Discover simple methods to enhance your XML processing skills.
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How to Properly Retrieve Values from XML Using XSLT's document Function

When working with XML data, you might often find yourself needing to extract specific values from external documents. If you're using XSLT (eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformations), the document function can be a powerful tool for this purpose. However, correctly implementing it can be a bit tricky, especially if you're using it in conjunction with a web service.

In this post, we'll explore how to effectively retrieve values from an XML document using XSLT's document function and clear up some common pitfalls.

The Problem: Accessing Values from External XML

Let's say you call an external web service that returns XML content. You initially store this XML response in a variable, which you then attempt to access to extract specific values.

Here’s the setup you might currently have:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

You may then try to access specific elements like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

However, this approach yields no value. The primary issue often arises from how you're trying to handle the XML you retrieved.

The Solution: Correctly Using the document Function

To properly retrieve values from your XML document, you should follow these steps:

1. Use xsl:variable Correctly

Instead of using <xsl:value-of> to store the document, you should directly use document within your <xsl:variable>:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

2. Accessing XML Content

Once you've successfully loaded the XML document into a variable, you can access its values like so:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

3. Handling Sequences

If you need to work with nodes and preserve the content's structure, consider using <xsl:copy-of> instead. This will allow you to store the entire structure of the document without just getting the string value.

For instance:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Then, you can operate on $ReturnMICRFormatDocument freely, without losing any content data type.

Example

Given the following XML response from the web service:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

You could implement it as:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

Using XSLT's document function is a reliable approach to retrieve data from external XML documents. However, it’s crucial to ensure you’re correctly storing and accessing that data with the right methods. Remember to utilize xsl:variable for direct document access and choose between xsl:value-of and xsl:copy-of based on your needs.

By following these guidelines, you'll effectively enhance your XML processing skills in XSLT. Happy coding!