> I'm still unclear *why* merely passing through a call-template and
> a variable is enough to make an xpath no longer be a node set -- with

select expressions produce node sets (or strings or numbers or whatever)

templates create result tree fragments.

templates are things generated by xsl:template, or xsl:variable if used
with no select attribute and instead a non empty content.

> on a related note, i'm mystified why xsl:variable can take element
> content as an alternative to a select attribute,

so that it can be used to save a RTF :-)

>  but for-each (and
> xsl:if, and xsl:when, and xsl:attribute, ...) don't
> allow this wonderful convenience. 

Because they are anyway creating RTF out of their content.

David


 XSL-List info and archive:  http://www.mulberrytech.com/xsl/xsl-list