current()

Description

current() returns the current node — the node being processed by the nearest enclosing xsl:template or xsl:for-each instruction. This is different from the context node (.), which shifts to each node evaluated inside predicates and path steps.

The key distinction is:

• . (dot) refers to the node currently in focus in an XPath sub-expression, which can change as XPath navigates through predicates.
• current() always refers to the XSLT processing context (the node the instruction is currently transforming), regardless of how deeply nested the XPath expression is.

current() is most useful inside predicates when you need to refer back to the outer node being processed, for example to perform a cross-reference lookup based on a value from the current node.

current() is an XSLT function, not a pure XPath function — it is only valid inside XSLT stylesheets, not standalone XPath expressions.

Return value

A node-set containing exactly one node: the current XSLT processing context node.

Examples

Cross-reference using current() in a predicate

Input XML:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<root>
  <categories>
    <category id="A">Electronics</category>
    <category id="B">Books</category>
  </categories>
  <products>
    <product cat="A"><name>Laptop</name></product>
    <product cat="B"><name>XSLT Guide</name></product>
  </products>
</root>

Stylesheet:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
  <xsl:output method="xml" indent="yes"/>

  <xsl:template match="/root">
    <result>
      <xsl:for-each select="products/product">
        <item>
          <xsl:value-of select="name"/>
          <xsl:text> — </xsl:text>
          <!-- current() is the product; . inside the predicate would be the category -->
          <xsl:value-of select="/root/categories/category[@id = current()/@cat]"/>
        </item>
      </xsl:for-each>
    </result>
  </xsl:template>
</xsl:stylesheet>

Output:

<result>
  <item>Laptop — Electronics</item>
  <item>XSLT Guide — Books</item>
</result>

Why current() differs from dot

<!-- Inside the predicate, "." refers to the category node, not the product.
     Without current(), @cat would look for an attribute on the category element. -->

<!-- Correct: -->
<xsl:value-of select="/root/categories/category[@id = current()/@cat]"/>

<!-- Wrong (would compare @id to category's own @cat, not the product's @cat): -->
<xsl:value-of select="/root/categories/category[@id = @cat]"/>

Notes

• current() is only meaningful inside an xsl:template or xsl:for-each. Calling it at the top level of a match pattern is an error.
• It cannot be used inside xsl:key’s use attribute — that is evaluated outside of any XSLT instruction context.
• In XSLT 2.0+, the need for current() is often reduced by using variables (xsl:variable) to capture the node before entering a predicate.
• current() and . are identical outside any predicate or path step.

See also

• xsl:for-each