creating arrays in xslt

Question

can array\'s be created and used in xslt? If so are there suitable examples online to study? If not is there a way to store values in a way that mimics an array?

Answer 1

The XPath 2.0 sequence (available in XSLT 2+) is the closest thing to an array:

(1 to 10)[3]

evaluates to 3

('a', 'b', 'a', 'c')[3]

evaluates to 'a'

The items of a sequence can be of any conceivable type allowed in XPath, with the exception of sequence itself -- nested sequences are not allowed.

Do note: Sequences are not the same as arrays:

1. Sequences are immutable. Any updating operation on a sequence (appending or prepending an item, inserting an item or removing an item) produces a new sequence.

2. The access time to the n-th item is not guaranteed to be O(1) as this is for arrays, and may be O(n).