The processor API is outside the control of the XSLT specification. If
Microsoft want to define a method called transform() whose semantics are

1. parse the XML and build a DOM tree
2. strip spaces from the DOM tree
3. convert the DOM tree to an XPath OM tree
4. run an XSLT transformation on the XPath OM tree

then (regrettably) there is nothing you or I can do to stop them.

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Colin Paul Adams [mailto:colin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] 
> Sent: 02 November 2004 10:12
> To: Michael Kay
> Cc: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [xsl] Collapsing run-on tag chains not working 
> in saxon or xalan
> 
> >>>>> "Michael" == Michael Kay <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> 
>     >>  XSLT 1.0 is 100% clear on this.
>     >> 
>     >> Microsoft are in violation of the standard.
> 
>     Michael> Sorry, but that's not 100% clear.
> 
> It is to me.
> 
>     Michael> in any particular way. There is specific mention in the
>     Michael> XSLT 1.0 spec of the possibility of starting from a DOM,
>     Michael> and the question of whether or not the DOM retains
>     Michael> whitespace that was in the original XML source (if there
>     Michael> was an original XML source) is completely outside the
>     Michael> scope of the XSLT spec.
> 
> But if there WAS an original XML source, then you have NOT started
> with a DOM. 
> Starting with a DOM means building your DOM with calls like
> createDocument and createNode (if I remember the names correctly).
> 
> English cannot bear the interpretation that starting with B means
> starting with A and then creating B from it.
> -- 
> Colin Paul Adams
> Preston Lancashire