Custom XSLT Tag - xslt-1.0

Question

I am sick of write all the call-template/with-param stuff.
Is there any shortcut for this in example:
<xsl:call-template name="complexwidget">
<xsl:with-param name="a" select="$bla_213"/>
<xsl:with-param name="b" select="$bla_213"/>
<xsl:with-param name="c" select="$bla_213"/>
<xsl:with-param name="d" select="$bla_213"/>
</xsl:call-template>
A Perfect posibility would be this:
<complex a="{$bla_213}" b="{$bla_213}" c="{$bla_213}" d="{$bla_213}" />
Any idea, maybe a twice-transform-xslt??

Answer 1

If you could switch to xslt 2.0 then user functions would be exactly what you need.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="2.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:fn="http://www.w3.org/2005/xpath-functions" xmlns:my="my-namespace">
<xsl:output method="text" version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" indent="yes"/>
<xsl:template match="/">
<xsl:value-of select="my:complexWidget(1, 2, 3, 4)" />
</xsl:template>
<xsl:function name="my:complexWidget">
<xsl:param name="a" />
<xsl:param name="b" />
<xsl:param name="c" />
<xsl:param name="d" />
<!-- Do something -->
<xsl:value-of select="($a, $b,$c, $d)" separator="-" />
</xsl:function>
</xsl:stylesheet>
In xslt 1.0 I think that preprocessing of xslt stylesheet with another transformation will be the only way (or may be writing some extension functions in language of your processor .
EDIT:
I tried the "preprocess" of xslt and it seems to be working (but probably it is no the most elegant way how to do it).
Input xslt
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform" xmlns:mypp="my-preprocess-namespace">
<xsl:output method="text" />
<xsl:template match="/">
<xsl:variable name="varA" select="1"/>
<xsl:variable name="varB" select="2"/>
<xsl:variable name="varC" select="3"/>
<xsl:variable name="varD" select="4"/>
<mypp:complexWidget a="$varA" b="$varB" c="$varC" d="$varD"/>
</xsl:template>
<xsl:template name="complexWidget">
<xsl:param name="a"/>
<xsl:param name="b"/>
<xsl:param name="c"/>
<xsl:param name="d"/>
<!-- do something-->
<xsl:value-of select="$a"/>
<xsl:text>-</xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="$b"/>
<xsl:text>-</xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="$c"/>
<xsl:text>-</xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="$d"/>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>
I defined here a special namespace for element to be replaced (i.e. xmlns:mypp="my-preprocess-namespace"). Element to be replaced is <mypp:complexWidget a="$varA" b="$varB" c="$varC" d="$varD"/>.
This xslt I preprocess with following xslt.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform" xmlns:mypp="my-preprocess-namespace">
<xsl:output method="xml" version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" indent="yes"/>
<xsl:template match="node() | #*">
<xsl:copy>
<xsl:apply-templates select="node() | #*" />
</xsl:copy>
</xsl:template>
<xsl:template match="mypp:*">
<xsl:element name="xsl:call-template">
<xsl:attribute name="name">
<xsl:value-of select="local-name()" />
</xsl:attribute>
<xsl:for-each select="#*">
<xsl:element name="xsl:with-param">
<xsl:attribute name="name">
<xsl:value-of select="name()" />
</xsl:attribute>
<xsl:attribute name="select">
<xsl:value-of select="." />
</xsl:attribute>
</xsl:element>
</xsl:for-each>
</xsl:element>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>
It is based on "Identity transform" - copy everything to the output just elements from special namespace transform into the call-template element. I guess this could be done in more nice way than I did.
The output is
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xsl:stylesheet xmlns:mypp="my-preprocess-namespace" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform" version="1.0">
<xsl:output method="text" />
<xsl:template match="/">
<xsl:variable name="varA" select="1"/>
<xsl:variable name="varB" select="2"/>
<xsl:variable name="varC" select="3"/>
<xsl:variable name="varD" select="4"/>
<xsl:call-template name="complexWidget">
<xsl:with-param name="a" select="$varA"/>
<xsl:with-param name="b" select="$varB"/>
<xsl:with-param name="c" select="$varC"/>
<xsl:with-param name="d" select="$varD"/>
</xsl:call-template>
</xsl:template>
<xsl:template name="complexWidget">
<xsl:param name="a"/>
<xsl:param name="b"/>
<xsl:param name="c"/>
<xsl:param name="d"/>
<!-- do something-->
<xsl:value-of select="$a"/>
<xsl:text>-</xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="$b"/>
<xsl:text>-</xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="$c"/>
<xsl:text>-</xsl:text>
<xsl:value-of select="$d"/>
</xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>
When I run the output as xslt stylesheet it produces expected output.
But I don't have any deeper experience with producing xslt stylesheet by another xslt so I don't know much about possible troubles with this approach.