DO NOT REPLY [Bug 14497] New: - String to double conversion does not respect "XMLSchema" standard

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http://nagoya.apache.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=14497

String to double conversion does not respect "XMLSchema" standard

           Summary: String to double conversion does not respect "XMLSchema"
                    standard
           Product: XalanC
           Version: 1.4.x
          Platform: PC
        OS/Version: Windows NT/2K
            Status: NEW
          Severity: Major
          Priority: Other
         Component: XalanC
        AssignedTo: xalan-dev@xml.apache.org
        ReportedBy: walter.koenig@laposte.net


If, in XMLSchema, you defined a float or double attribute, you have to 
specified it's value using the english way of formatting number, I mean the "." 
a sdecimal separator.

But during an XSLT processing, each string needing to be used as a number is 
converted to Double using the "inline double DoubleSupportconvertHelper(const 
XalanDOMChar* theString, bool fGotDecimalPoint)" (file 
PlatformSupport\DoubleSupport.cpp line 637).

This function uses the atof conversion "instruction" but this one is, under 
Windows, localized. So the conversion from "6.25" for example give "6" because 
my "user code" use setlocale to put the locale parameter to french (with a "," 
as separator).

I guess this problem may be encouter on other platform.

To reproduce the "bug" just write an xml file with numerical attribute in some 
element like this:
<elt value="6.25"/>
Then use a simple XLST file trying to multiply the value by 100 and see the 
result.
example:
<xsl:template match="elt">
   <xsl:value-of select="@value * 100"/>
</xsl:template>

 If you use the XalanTransform example, no problem. but if you add a setlocale
(LC_NUMERIC, "French_France") before calling ::tranform....oops you optain 600 
and not 625...


For what I know, XMLSchema force us to write numbers in English form for the 
data to be validated (in my XMLSpy version, "french" float are refused...).

So I guess that the Xalan code should treat number as English ones, even if 
this is anoying in some other situations.

The path I submit is to simply wrap the atof call with setlocale calls like 
this:

char* locale = setlocale(LC_NUMERIC, "English_USA");
double result = atof(theBuffer);
setLocale(LC_NUMERIC, locale);
return result;

Or the users should be inform that Xalan converts EACH string to number using 
locale parameter and that if they wrap their xalan transformation in code like 
the one I give the problem is "solved".

What do you think?