Yes, that's how it works. I didn't explain it deliberately - people
shouldn't use code fragments without doing the work to understand them.

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




> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pawson, David [mailto:David.Pawson@xxxxxxxxxxx] 
> Sent: 03 February 2005 10:27
> To: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE:  select="if (subelement) then subelement 
> else 'string'"
> 
>  
> 
>     -----Original Message-----
>     From: Michael Kay 
>     
>     I often write select="(pages, 0)[1]"
> 
> 
> Clarification please,
> generate a sequence which has either one or two items;
> then take the first?
> Sequence is either
>   [123, 0]
> or
>   [0]
> 
> which gives what the OP wanted?
> Is that right (DC terminological corrections notwithstanding).
> 
> 
> TIA, DaveP.
>   
> 
>     > Is there a simpler or more efficient way to provide '0' 
>     when the pages 
>     > subelement isn't present (or 0, since the template 
> outputs it via 
>     > xsl:value-of)?
> 
> 
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