XML in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

Name

xsl:message

Synopsis

<xsl:message
  terminate = "yes" | "no">
  <! --  template  -- >
</xsl:message>

The xsl:message instruction sends a message to the XSLT processor. Which messages the processor understands and what it does with messages it understands is processor-dependent. Printing debugging information on stderr or stdout is one common use of xsl:message.

Attribute

terminate, optional

If the attribute is present and has the value yes, then the XSLT processor should halt after the message is delivered and acted on.

Contents

An xsl:message element’s content is a template instantiated to create an XML fragment. The result is then delivered to the XSLT processor as the message.

Warning

The XSLT specification does not define XML fragment, and various XSLT processors interpret it differently. It may be a result tree fragment or an XML fragment, as defined by the now moribund XML Fragment Interchange working draft. It may be something else. Clarification from the W3C is necessary but does not seem to be forthcoming.