Mac,
(I changed the thread)
You wrote:
I am trying to simply duplicate an XML tree with the addition of
adding an attribute to all the ancestors of a given element.
That's a tip-off. This is an application of a near-identity transformation:
<xsl:template match="node()|@*">
<xsl:copy>
<xsl:if test="descendant::*[(_at_)task='1']">
<xsl:attribute name="task">
<!-- your attribute's value goes here -->
</xsl:attribute>
</xsl:if>
<xsl:apply-templates select="node()|@*"/>
</xsl:copy>
</xsl:template>
It simply adds a 'task' attribute to any element that has a descendant with
your criterion.
Since attributes have no descendants, it isn't a problem to handle them in
the same template.
Since the template doesn't match the root node (q: why doesn't it?), we
don't need to worry about it either (it'll be handled by default).
Cheers,
Wendell
___&&__&_&___&_&__&&&__&_&__&__&&____&&_&___&__&_&&_____&__&__&&_____&_&&_
"Thus I make my own use of the telegraph, without consulting
the directors, like the sparrows, which I perceive use it
extensively for a perch." -- Thoreau
XSL-List info and archive: http://www.mulberrytech.com/xsl/xsl-list