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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-27T21:27:38+00:00

In a key element, it is an error for the value of either the

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In a key element, it is an error for the value of either the use attribute or the match attribute to contain a variable reference.

But can the use attribute or the match attribute contain a key() function?

This seems allowed, but it would only make sense if key elements are executed in document order in the stylesheet. Is that guaranteed?

(If this does indeed work, then one could sometimes use a key() function within a use or match to do the job that a disallowed global variable would do.)

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  1. Editorial Team

    But can the use attribute or the match attribute contain a key()
    function?

    In XSLT 1.0 both of these are errors.

    From the W3C Errata to the XSLT 1.0 Specification:

    E13 – Substantive.

    Section 12.2, eighth paragraph. Calls to the key function in match and
    use attributes on xsl:key elements may cause cycles. See
    http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-xsl-wg/2000Jun/0048.html
    (members only).

    It is an error for the value of either the use attribute or the match
    attribute to contain a VariableReference, or a call to the key
    function

    In XSLT 2.0 the use of the key() function in these places is allowed, provided that a key is not defined in terms of itself (no circular references in definitions are allowed).

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