> If I understand right, this, in the context of a function:
> 
> <xsl:number level="any" select="$footcite"
>           
> count="db:footnote|db:citation[not($footcite/ancestor::db:foot
> note)]"/>
> 
> ... should not be counting db:citation elements which are descendents
> of db:footnote.
> 
> Is that right?

Not quite. There are two cases:

if $footcite has an ancestor that is a db:footnote, then it counts all
db:footnote elements

otherwise, it counds all db:footnote and db:citation elements

> 
> My problem is that where I have a db:citation as child of db:footnote,
> I end up with a list numbered liike:
> 
> 1
> 2
> 4
> 5
> 
> ... where the gap (numbered '3' but not output) is the
> db:footnote/db:citation element.

Perhaps the pattern you want is:

count="db:footnote | db:citation[not(ancestor::db:footnote)]"

(but it's hard to tell without more detail).

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/


> 
> Bruce