The format of the "explain" output which displays a compiled and optimized expression
tree has changed. The format is now XML, making the raw output amenable to further processing,
for example filtering or graphical display. The -e
flag on the Query command
line is extended to allow -explain:filename
, so that the output can more easily be
captured in a file.
The options -explain
and -explain:filename
have been added to the Transform
command line allowing an expression tree to be generated for an entire stylesheet. The extension attribute
saxon:explain
remains available for more selective reporting.
From the Java level, explain output is available via a new method on the Expression
class.
The old display()
method is retained (for the time being) for compatibility, but produces
output in the new format.