I'm been given the task to validate some data using XSLT. One of the things I've got to validate is a Universally Unique Identifier in the format (XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX.X)
I should explain what I mean when I say validate.

An incoming document has a huge amount of elements. I'm simply using XSLT to check to make sure data within the elements exists if required. And If it's there, that it's in the right format.

I would think validating a UUID would be something that has been done before in XSLT. I could write it, but you know how use programmers don't like to repeat things that other people have already done.

Anyone written a UUID validation before they'd be willing to share?

The page http://www.geekzilla.co.uk/View8AD53...1BC663848E.htm has a regular expression (and .NET C# code).
If you use XSLT 2.0 then you might be able to use that regular expression with XSLT/XPath instead and the matches function that exists in XPath 2.0: http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath-functions/#func-matches

--
  Martin Honnen
  Microsoft MVP - XML

Can you tell us, in English, what rules you think a valid UUID needs to obey?

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/
Author, XSLT Programmer's Reference and XPath 2.0 Programmer's Reference

Using the Regular Expression on the link above, and making small adjustments, I was able to use the following as an XPath.

matches(., '^([0-9a-fA-F]){8}-([0-9a-fA-F]){4}-([0-9a-fA-F]){4}-([0-9a-fA-F]){4}-([0-9a-fA-F]){12}.([0-1]){1}')

It works perfectly fine for my application. With some small adjustments to the Reg Expression I found <xsl:analyze-string /> much more useful.

In regards to Michael's question. My application does not require a particularly deep validation. I just need to make sure that the UUID is in a canonical form. (128 bit, 32 hexadecimal digits, in the form 8-4-4-4-12 for a total of 36 characters.) I do not need to check for a specific version of UUID. White space has been handled by other templates in my particular XSLT.

Thanks very much!

Just for the record, you can also do this kind of validation using translate():

translate($in, '0123456789abcdefABCDEF', '0') =
'00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000'

which might be faster.

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/
Author, XSLT Programmer's Reference and XPath 2.0 Programmer's Reference

Sorry, that should be

translate($in, '0123456789abcdefABCDEF', '000000000000000000000000') =
'00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000'


Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/
Author, XSLT Programmer's Reference and XPath 2.0 Programmer's Reference

*pulls out my books*

You always have insightful, unique ways to make use of XSLT. Thanks again.