RE: Matching elements based on element type:

> >   Don't forget to validate your input (to annotate the nodes with 
> > their type).
> >
> 
> Sorry, was this meant for me? You mean in the XML file?
> 

I think that Florent was making guesses about what your next question might
be, and answering it in advance. I prefer to wait and see!

XSLT 2.0 allows schema-aware processing: the stylesheet can be compiled
against a given schema, so it can make references to types defined in the
schema; and it can also select or match elements based on their type. To do
this, the input document must be validated against the right schema. The
validation process marks nodes with the schema type that they were validated
against, and this information can be used for matching template rules or for
selecting elements in path expressions.

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