BaseX 12.0 is tripping on the XSLT transformation that outputs text, not XML
Hello,
It seems that BaseX 12.0 beta 2686758, and later, is tripping on the XSLT transformation that outputs text, not XML. I am using SaxonHE12-5J.
Even the following XQuery setting is not helping. declare option output:method 'text';
IMHO, BaseX should read the output:method attribute from an XSLT and handle it properly. method? = "xml" | "html" | "xhtml" | "text" | "json" | "adaptive" | eqname https://qt4cg.org/specifications/xslt-40/Overview.html#id-xsl-output-declaration
Below is an easy repro.
Process3.xslt is working (xsl:output method="xml") Process2.xslt is NOT working (xsl:output method="text")
Error: Stopped at C:/Program Files (x86)/BaseX/src/file, 10/15: [FODC0002] "" (Line 1): Content is not allowed in prolog.
XQuery ============= (: Outputs the result as xml. :) declare option output:method 'text';
declare variable $input as xs:string := 'e:\Temp\BaseX_XSLT\Input2.xml';
declare variable $stylesheet as xs:string := 'e:\Temp\BaseX_XSLT\Process2.xslt';
xslt:transform($input, $stylesheet)input2.xml ============== <dummy>text</dummy>
Process3.xslt ================= <xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"> <xsl:output method="xml" omit-xml-declaration="yes"/>
<xsl:template match="/dummy">
<xsl:copy-of select="."/>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>Process2.xslt ================ <xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"> <xsl:output method="text" omit-xml-declaration="yes"/>
<xsl:template match="/dummy">
<xsl:value-of select="."/>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>11.9 (and SaxonHE-J 12.7) has the same issue, and continues to have the issue with the delivery-format option set on transform()
xslt:transform($input, $stylesheet,map{'delivery-format': 'raw'})
xslt:transform($input, $stylesheet,map{'delivery-format': 'serialized'})
xslt:transform($input, $stylesheet,map{'delivery-format': 'document'})all give the same "not allowed in prolog" result.
Since setting the stylesheet to process3.xsl which ought to return
<dummy>text</dummy>returns
text
instead, no matter if delivery-format is set or what it's set to if it is set, or if I assign the result to a variable typed item() and return that.
-- Graydon
Quoted text · ykhabins at bellsouth.net · 56 lines
On Sun, Jun 1, 2025, at 15:54, ykhabins at bellsouth.net wrote: > Hello, > > It seems that BaseX 12.0 beta 2686758, and later, is tripping on the XSLT transformation that outputs text, not XML. > I am using SaxonHE12-5J. > > Even the following XQuery setting is not helping. > declare option output:method 'text'; > > IMHO, BaseX should read the output:method attribute from an XSLT and handle it properly. > method? = "xml" | "html" | "xhtml" | "text" | "json" | "adaptive" | eqname > https://qt4cg.org/specifications/xslt-40/Overview.html#id-xsl-output-declaration > > Below is an easy repro. > > Process3.xslt is working (xsl:output method="xml") > Process2.xslt is NOT working (xsl:output method="text") > > Error: > Stopped at C:/Program Files (x86)/BaseX/src/file, 10/15: > [FODC0002] "" (Line 1): Content is not allowed in prolog. > > XQuery > ============= > (: Outputs the result as xml. :) > declare option output:method 'text'; > > declare variable $input as xs:string := 'e:\Temp\BaseX_XSLT\Input2.xml'; > declare variable $stylesheet as xs:string := 'e:\Temp\BaseX_XSLT\Process2.xslt'; > > xslt:transform($input, $stylesheet) > > input2.xml > ============== > <dummy>text</dummy> > > Process3.xslt > ================= > <xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"> > <xsl:output method="xml" omit-xml-declaration="yes"/> > > <xsl:template match="/dummy"> > <xsl:copy-of select="."/> > </xsl:template> > </xsl:stylesheet> > > Process2.xslt > ================ > <xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"> > <xsl:output method="text" omit-xml-declaration="yes"/> > > <xsl:template match="/dummy"> > <xsl:value-of select="."/> > </xsl:template> > </xsl:stylesheet> >
Hi Yitzhak,
If your XSLT transformation returns something else than an XML document, you should use xslt:transform-text [1] to receive the generated result as string.
Hope this helps, Christian
[1] https://docs.basex.org/main/XSLT_Functions#xslt:transform-text
Quoted text · PM · 62 lines
On Sun, Jun 1, 2025 at 9:55 PM <ykhabins at bellsouth.net> wrote: > Hello, > > It seems that BaseX 12.0 beta 2686758, and later, is tripping on the XSLT > transformation that outputs text, not XML. > I am using SaxonHE12-5J. > > Even the following XQuery setting is not helping. > declare option output:method 'text'; > > IMHO, BaseX should read the output:method attribute from an XSLT and > handle it properly. > method? = "xml" | "html" | "xhtml" | "text" | "json" | "adaptive" | eqname > > https://qt4cg.org/specifications/xslt-40/Overview.html#id-xsl-output-declaration > > Below is an easy repro. > > Process3.xslt is working (xsl:output method="xml") > Process2.xslt is NOT working (xsl:output method="text") > > Error: > Stopped at C:/Program Files (x86)/BaseX/src/file, 10/15: > [FODC0002] "" (Line 1): Content is not allowed in prolog. > > XQuery > ============= > (: Outputs the result as xml. :) > declare option output:method 'text'; > > declare variable $input as xs:string := 'e:\Temp\BaseX_XSLT\Input2.xml'; > declare variable $stylesheet as xs:string := > 'e:\Temp\BaseX_XSLT\Process2.xslt'; > > xslt:transform($input, $stylesheet) > > input2.xml > ============== > <dummy>text</dummy> > > Process3.xslt > ================= > <xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl=" > http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"> > <xsl:output method="xml" omit-xml-declaration="yes"/> > > <xsl:template match="/dummy"> > <xsl:copy-of select="."/> > </xsl:template> > </xsl:stylesheet> > > Process2.xslt > ================ > <xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl=" > http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"> > <xsl:output method="text" omit-xml-declaration="yes"/> > > <xsl:template match="/dummy"> > <xsl:value-of select="."/> > </xsl:template> > </xsl:stylesheet> >
Written for BaseX 11.9. BaseX may have changed since: please check the current documentation.