XSL: creating a <UL> within a <TABLE>

[bearclaws]

I am looping through a list of categories and want to display the list
horizontally (instead of vertically). I want to create a single row
with 4 list items in each cell of the row.

I thought this would work but I get this error:
"End tag 'xsl:if' does not match the start tag 'ul'."

Any thoughts?


<table border="1">
<tr>
<xsl:for-each select="category">
<!-- START CELL & LIST -->
<xsl:if test="position() = 1">
<td><ul>
</xsl:if>

<!-- LIST CATEGORY NAME -->
<li><xsl:value-of select="@name"/></li>

<!-- IF 4 LISTED: CLOSE LIST/CELL AND START NEW CELL -->
<xsl:if test="position() mod 4 = 0 and position() != last()">
</ul></td><td><ul>
</xsl:if>

<!-- CLOSE CELL IF LAST ITEM -->
<xsl:if test="position() = last()">
</ul></td>
</xsl:if>

</xsl:for-each>
</tr>
</table>

 

[Stan Kitsis [MSFT]]

Can you post a sample input and desired output?

--
Stan Kitsis
Program Manager, XML Technologies
Microsoft Corporation

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

 

[Joris Gillis]

I am looping through a list of categories and want to display the list
horizontally (instead of vertically). I want to create a single row
with 4 list items in each cell of the row.

<table border="1">
<tr>
<xsl:for-each select="category">
<!-- START CELL & LIST -->
<xsl:if test="position() = 1">
<td><ul>
</xsl:if>

<!-- LIST CATEGORY NAME -->
<li><xsl:value-of select="@name"/></li>

<!-- IF 4 LISTED: CLOSE LIST/CELL AND START NEW CELL -->
<xsl:if test="position() mod 4 = 0 and position() != last()">
</ul></td><td><ul>
</xsl:if>

<!-- CLOSE CELL IF LAST ITEM -->
<xsl:if test="position() = last()">
</ul></td>
</xsl:if>

</xsl:for-each>
</tr>
</table>

Hi,

Firstly, XSLT is written in XML. This document snippet is certainly not well-formed xml and will therefore never pass through parse stage.
Secondly, the algorithm you're trying to express cannot work in XSLT. In Xslt you can't create tags; you create nodes. These creations are atomic and cannot possibly be split in two halves.

The solution to your problem is grouping.
Here's one example of working code:

<table border="1">
<tr>
<xsl:for-each select="category[(position() -1) mod 4 = 0]">
<td><ul>
<xsl:for-each select=". | following-sibling::category[position() &lt; 4]">
<li><xsl:value-of select="@name"/></li>
</xsl:for-each>
</ul></td>
</xsl:for-each>
</tr>
</table>


regards,

 

[bearclaws]

Joris -
Your solution worked perfectly!

I figured it had something to do with the separated tags but couldn't
find any solid examples online.

Many thanks,
BC

 

[bearclaws]

Joris -

Your solution worked perfectly!

I figured it had something to do with the separated tags but couldn't
find any solid examples online.

Many thanks,
BC

 

[bearclaws]

Joris -

Your solution worked perfectly!

I figured it had something to do with the separated tags but couldn't
find any solid examples online.

Many thanks,
BC

 

[Andy Dingley]

I am looping through a list of categories and want to display the list
horizontally (instead of vertically).

Then use CSS to control the presentation of the <ul>, don't mess with
tables.

 

[Joris Gillis]

Then use CSS to control the presentation of the <ul>, don't mess with
tables.

I completely agree

 

[bearclaws]

Good thinking. Using CSS works too (and spares me the table logic
mess).

Here are two articles I found helpful for creating multiple column
lists using CSS:

http://www.communitymx.com/content/article.cfm?cid=27F87&print=true

http://pikasoftware.net/docs/index.php/Site_Map:_Multiple_Column_Lists