xslt - How to 'select' from XML with namespaces?

Question

I have an XML document something like :::

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<?mso-application progid="Excel.Sheet"?>
<Workbook xmlns:ss="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet"
          xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
          xmlns:x="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel"
          xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet">
  <Worksheet ss:Name="Worksheet1">
    <Table>
      <Column ss:Width="100"></Column>

      <Row>
        <Cell ss:Index="1" ss:StyleID="headerStyle">
          <Data ss:Type="String">Submitted By</Data>
        </Cell>
      </Row>
      <Row>
        <Cell ss:Index="1" ss:StyleID="alternatingItemStyle">
          <Data ss:Type="String">Value1-0</Data>
        </Cell>
      </Row>
    </Table>
    <AutoFilter xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel"
                x:Range="R1C1:R1C5"></AutoFilter>
  </Worksheet>
</Workbook>

The problem is when trying to select Rows with

  <xsl:for-each select="//Row">
    <xsl:copy-of select="."/>
  </xsl:for-each>

It is not matching. I removed all of the name-spacing and it works fine. So, how do I get the 'select' to match Row?

Answer 1

Declare a namespace prefix for the namespace in your XSLT and then select using that prefix:

<xsl:stylesheet ... xmlns:os="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet">
  ...   
  <xsl:for-each select="//os:Row">
    ...
  </xsl:for-each>
  ...
</xsl:stylesheet>

This usually results in XPaths that are easy to read. However, XSLT/XPath tools generate the following, equivalent code:

<xsl:for-each select="//*[local-name()='Row' = and namespace-uri()='urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet']">
   ...
</xsl:for-each>