> 1. I want to test whether a particular table node (the context node)
> contains any descendant footnote elements where (a) the footnote "level"
> attribute has the value "table", and (b) the footnote's nearest table
> ancestor is the context node.

.//footnote[@level='table'][generate-id(ancestor::table[1])=generate-id(current())]

> 2. The next step is to generalise this test so that the context node may be
> anything, i.e. for the current node, X say, there is at least one footnote
> element with its level attribute = "X", and that footnote's nearest ancestor
> X is in fact the context node X.

.//footnote[@level='table'][generate-id(ancestor::*[name()=name(current())][1])=generate-id(current())]

> but it's not working.
mainly because you are using . (which is the fotnote element being
tested) not current() (which is the current node at the start of the
expression)


Although looking at your original post I wouldn't do this test at all.

You only need to look all the way down at footnotes and then look back
to check you haven't gone inside a nested table because you were too
agressive in collecting footnotes in the first place.


so instead of

>    <xsl:apply-templates
>        select="descendant::footnote[@level=$local]"
>         mode="footnote"/>


I'd (perhaps) do

   <xsl:apply-templates  select="*"  mode="footnote"/>

On most elements you just want to recurse (on elements, not text) so:

<xsl:template match="*" mode="foornote">
   <xsl:apply-templates  select="*" mode="footnote"/>
</xsl:template>

on table elements you want to stop looking (you'll handle the nested
table later)

<xsl:template match="table" mode="foornote"/>


and foootnote elements you want to do whatever it is you want to do:

<xsl:template match="footnote[@level='footnote']" mode="foornote">
  make a footnote
</xsl:template>

David


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