CUSTOM SORT XSL?

Question

This is my XML Structure like this

input :-

<MYDATA>
     <DETAILS>
       <DESCRIPTION>EASE</DESCRIPTION>
     </DETAILS>

     <DETAILS>
       <DESCRIPTION>COMPLEX</DESCRIPTION>
     </DETAILS>

     <DETAILS>
       <DESCRIPTION>SIMPLE</DESCRIPTION>
     </DETAILS>
</MYDATA>

I want to display like this using xsl sort it mean custom sort i want to display firts simple second ease and third complex

Output :-

<MYDATA>

     <DETAILS>
       <DESCRIPTION>SIMPLE</DESCRIPTION>
     </DETAILS>


     <DETAILS>
       <DESCRIPTION>EASE</DESCRIPTION>
     </DETAILS>

     <DETAILS>
       <DESCRIPTION>COMPLEX</DESCRIPTION>
     </DETAILS>

        </MYDATA>

Answer 1

Starting from Jose's idea, here is something with less code:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">

  <xsl:variable name="DifficultyLevel">EASE|SIMPLE|COMPLEX|</xsl:variable>

  <xsl:template match="@* | node()">
    <xsl:copy>
      <xsl:apply-templates select="@* | node()"/>
    </xsl:copy>
  </xsl:template>

  <xsl:template match="MYDATA">
    <xsl:apply-templates select="@* | node()">
      <xsl:sort order="ascending" select="string-length(substring-before($DifficultyLevel, DETAILS/DESCRIPTION))"/>
    </xsl:apply-templates>
  </xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>

Answer 2

There is a generic way to solve the problem. What you need is to define a variable with the sorted list you want to use. Then you use a recusive call to show the elements by that order. Basicly you go by the elements of variable "sortOrder", applying then to a apply-template call that use that value the selects the node that you need.

    <?xml version="1.0"?>

    <xsl:stylesheet version="1.0"
    xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">


    <xsl:variable name="sortOrder">EASE|SIMPLE|COMPLEX|</xsl:variable>

    <xsl:template match="/">
        <MYDATA>
            <xsl:call-template name="SortElements">
                <xsl:with-param name="sortList" select="$sortOrder"/>
            </xsl:call-template>
        </MYDATA>

    </xsl:template>

    <xsl:template name="SortElements">
        <xsl:param name="sortList"/>


        <xsl:variable name="element" select="substring-before ($sortList, '|')"/>

        <xsl:if test="$element != ''">
            <xsl:apply-templates select="/MYDATA/DETAILS [DESCRIPTION = $element]"/>

            <xsl:call-template name="SortElements">
                <xsl:with-param name="sortList" select="substring-after ($sortList, '|')"/>
            </xsl:call-template>
        </xsl:if>
    </xsl:template>

    <xsl:template match="DETAILS">
        <DETAILS>
            <DESCRIPTION>
                <xsl:value-of select="DESCRIPTION"/>
            </DESCRIPTION>
        </DETAILS>
    </xsl:template>

</xsl:stylesheet>