> hi i already solved it. i passed the value of <EMPTYNODE> into a
> variable then used java to proccess the logic =)

That's not a solution, any more than it's a solution to say you couldn't
work out how to cut a piece of paper with scissors so you put it into a
shredder instead.

Your code wasn't working because of something that you didn't show us.
Probably you got the context wrong.

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