[ANNOUNCE] Xalan-Java 2.4.0 release is now available

[mc...@ca.ibm.com]

Hello all,

The Xalan-J team is pleased to announce the availability
of Xalan Java 2.4.0.

The release can be downloaded from  http://xml.apache.org/dist/xalan-j/.


Highlights include:

 * Xalan Java 2.4.0 works with Xerces-Java 2 and bundles
   the recently announced version of Xerces Java 2.1.

 * Xalan Java 2.4.0 has been tested against the JAXP 1.1
   and 1.2 TCK test suites and passes all tests not on
   the exclude list.

 * Support for EXSLT extensions.

 * Improvements to the extensions mechanism to more efficiently
   handle the detection and analysis of extensions during the
   stylesheet "composition" process, and the generation of the
   required extension handlers during initialization of the
   transformation process.

 * Xalan-Java now uses a list of supported encodings in a properties
   file (org.apache.xalan.serialize.Encodings.properties).

 * Various performance improvements.

 * Separation of source and messages for better localization.

 * XSLTC version changed to 1.2.

 * General bug fixes.

 * and more.... for a complete list of all changes, see
   xalan-cvs@xml.apache.org in the Apache mailing list archive
   found at http://nagoya.apache.org/eyebrowse/ViewLists

For more information on Xalan Java, please refer to
http://xml.apache.org/xalan-j/index.html.


Sarah McNamara
mcnamara@ca.ibm.com

2.4.0 Extensions Bug or Implementation Change?

[Rick Bullotta <ri...@lighthammer.com>]

Calling a 3rd party extension function with a call to an extension function
as a parameter (in this case a xalan:nodeset call) no longer works...below
is the "before 2.4" code and "post 2.4" code that works.  With 2.4, a
"org.apache.xpath.XPathProcessorException: Extension function
http://xml.apache.org/xalan : nodeset is unknown" exception is thrown.
However, adding an interim variable as in the second example seems to work,
though I'm sure there is some minor overhead associated with the extra step.

Any thoughts?  Just "the way it is"? ;>

================
Used to work:

<xsl:variable name="THING">
<TOP>
	<MIDDLE>
		<BOTTOM>Wahoo</BOTTOM>
	</MIDDLE>
</TOP>
</xsl:variable>

<xsl:copy-of select="lhfunction:dosomething('ABC',xalan:nodeset($THING))"/>

================
Workaround:

<xsl:variable name="THING">
<TOP>
	<MIDDLE>
		<BOTTOM>Wahoo</BOTTOM>
	</MIDDLE>
</TOP>
</xsl:variable>

<xsl:variable name="THINGNodes" select="xalan:nodeset($THING)"/>

<xsl:copy-of select="lhfunction:dosomething('ABC',$THINGNodes)"/>

================
Rick Bullotta
CTO
Lighthammer Software (www.lighthammer.com)