A.1 XSLT language features supporting XSL-FO

A.1.1 The xsl:attribute-set instruction

xsl:attribute-set is a very useful instruction for the manipulation of many attributes targeted for a given formatting object.

• It names a set of attribute instructions that can be called on demand.

• It uses a namespace-qualified name promoting easy sharing of stylesheet fragments .

• It provides well-defined integration with other methods of specifying attributes for a result element.

  • Any xsl:attribute-set collections named in an xsl:use-attribute-sets attribute are added first.

  • Any attribute specifications in the literal result element itself are added next .

  • Any executed xsl:attribute instructions in the literal result element's template are added last.

  • Attribute values defined earlier are replaced with those defined later without an error.

  • The last value assigned to an attribute is what remains in the result tree.

A.1.2 List numbering facilities

The numbering facilities in XSLT allow the list structures in XSL-FO to be defined easier.

• The collection of list formatting objects are layout oriented, not content oriented.

  • A list is a list regardless of how it is labeled or what it contains.

• The content of the objects is defined by XSLT, thereby reducing the number of objects.

  • There is no distinction between numbered and unnumbered lists.

  • The type and structure of the list item labels is entirely out of the scope of formatting and rendering.