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I note that the definition of alphanumeric given for the format attribute does not include all characters with the Unicode Alphabetic property. Maybe the WG has already considered this, but I thought I'd draw attention to it. I'm raising this now, rather than waiting for the CR to be issued, so I don't forget it later.
The definition of alphanumeric (all characters in the Unicode letter and number gorups) is unchanged since XSLT 1.0, and I'm not aware that it has caused any problems. I don't think the WG has ever reviewed the definition. The characters that are classified as alphabetic but not letters seem to consist mainly of combining marks and signs, such as vowel signs. I've personally no knowledge of whether such marks and signs are ever used in numbering sequences. However, they are currently allowed in the format pattern as separator characters, and if we moved them to the "alphanumeric" category then it seems we would not only be creating a theoretical backwards incompatibility, we might also be removing functionality. So I don't think we can consider doing this without strong evidence that there is a practical need; and even if there is such a need, I think we could justify making it a "version 3" requirement rather than trying to squeeze a late change into 2.0. Michael Kay (personal response)
Resolution changed to "LATER" for scheduling purposes.
Closing bug because commenter has not objected to the resolution posted and more than two weeks have passed.