Hi, Max,

I thought you had a directory element wrapped around each set of 
staffPersonal, staffOffice, and StaffTitle elements. If so, applying those 
templates from the match="directory" template ought to get just one item 
for each value. If your structure is different (directory element wraps 
more than one entry), then you've run into  situation where for-each might 
help. However, if you need to group each set of three elements, for-each 
won't be enough. At that point, you have a grouping problem. (Recognizing 
when you have a grouping problem can be a bit subtle - one of those things 
for which you'll develop a feel as you hone your XSLT skills.)

I don't see enough here to know why it broke. I suspect that I didn't know 
enough about your data structure. So, please show us a more complete view 
of your data (as small as possible but enough to illustrate the current 
problem).

Busy day today, so I may be slow on answers until I get home.

Thanks.

Jay Bryant
Bryant Communication Services
(presently consulting at Synergistic Solution Technologies)