differences between for-each and templates in xsl?

Question

Both xsl:for-each and xsl:template are used to retrieve nodes from xml in an xsl stylesheet. But what is the fundamental difference between them? P

Answer 1

Both the 'for-each' and 'template' are used to retrieve the nodes from xml in the xsl. But what is the difference between them in basically

Here are some of the most important differences:

1. xsl:apply-templates is much richer and deeper than xsl:for-each, even simply because we don't know what code will be applied on the nodes of the selection -- in the general case this code will be different for different nodes of the node-list.

2. The code that will be applied can be written way after the xsl:apply templates was written and by people that do not know the original author.

The FXSL library's implementation of higher-order functions (HOF) in XSLT wouldn't be possible if XSLT didn't have the instruction.

Summary: Templates and the instruction is how XSLT implements and deals with polymorphism.

Reference: See this whole thread: http://www.stylusstudio.com/xsllist/200411/post60540.html