XSLT Namespace

The namespace http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform is referred to as "the XSLT namespace". The prefix xsl is conventionally used to refer to this namespace (and is so used both within this document and within the XSLT specification), but it has no special status: any prefix may be used.

The same namespace has been used in all versions of the XSLT Recommendation.

Names in this namespace should be used only as defined in the relevant version of the XSLT Recommendation. In some contexts (for example, in the names of functions or system properties) misuse of the XSLT namespace makes a stylesheet erroneous.

XSLT Elements

The namespace name http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform is used primarily to identify elements which serve as declarations or instructions in the XSLT language. The full list of element names used in XSLT 3.0 is:

xsl:accept xsl:accumulator xsl:accumulator-rule xsl:analyze-string xsl:apply-imports xsl:apply-templates xsl:assert xsl:attribute xsl:attribute-set xsl:break xsl:call-template xsl:catch xsl:character-map xsl:choose xsl:comment xsl:context-item xsl:copy xsl:copy-of xsl:decimal-format xsl:document xsl:element xsl:evaluate xsl:expose xsl:fallback xsl:for-each xsl:for-each-group xsl:fork xsl:function xsl:global-context-item xsl:if xsl:import xsl:import-schema xsl:include xsl:iterate xsl:key xsl:map xsl:map-entry xsl:matching-substring xsl:merge xsl:merge-action xsl:merge-key xsl:merge-source xsl:message xsl:mode xsl:namespace xsl:namespace-alias xsl:next-iteration xsl:next-match xsl:non-matching-substring xsl:number xsl:on-completion xsl:on-empty xsl:on-non-empty xsl:otherwise xsl:output xsl:output-character xsl:override xsl:package xsl:param xsl:perform-sort xsl:preserve-space xsl:processing-instruction xsl:result-document xsl:sequence xsl:sort xsl:source-document xsl:strip-space xsl:stylesheet xsl:template xsl:text xsl:transform xsl:try xsl:use-package xsl:value-of xsl:variable xsl:when xsl:where-populated xsl:with-param

XSLT Attributes

XSLT also defines a number of attributes with names in the namespace http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform; these attributes are used exclusively on elements that are not in this namespace. These attributes (in XSLT 3.0) are:

xsl:default-collation xsl:default-mode xsl:default-validation xsl:exclude-result-prefixes xsl:expand-text xsl:extension-element-prefixes xsl:type xsl:use-when xsl:validation xsl:version xsl:xpath-default-namespace

XSLT System Properties

QNames in the namespace http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform are defined for use with the system-property function to obtain information about the processing environment. The system properties defined in XSLT 3.0 are:

xsl:version xsl:vendor xsl:vendor-url xsl:product-name xsl:product-version xsl:is-schema-aware xsl:supports-serialization xsl:supports-backwards-compatibility xsl:supports-namespace-axis xsl:supports-streaming xsl:supports-dynamic-evaluation xsl:supports-higher-order-functions xsl:xpath-version xsl:xsd-version

Miscellaneous

The name xsl:initial-template identifies a named template that is to act as the default entry point for execution of a stylesheet.

The name xsl:original is used within an overriding component (for example, a variable, function, or template) to identify (and typically invoke) the component that is being overridden.

Specifications

The XSLT language has three versions which are distinguished by content of the version attribute:

More information

XSL page at W3C

xsl-list, public mailing list for discussing XSLT

Unofficial DTD for XSLT 1.0

W3C XML Schema for XSLT 2.0 (non-normative)

W3C XML Schema for XSLT 3.0 (non-normative)

Relax-NG Schema for XSLT 3.0 (non-normative)