That's strange, i didn't try it but it seems it should do just that...
I'll try it tomorrow!

On 8/31/05, Woods, Christopher <cwoods@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Thanks for the suggestion.  I tried it out but it still includes text
elements that are descended from the second system element.  I need to skip
over everything below the second system element.
>
> In psuedocode, what I need is this:
> descendant::text[skip all text elements that are descendants of second
system element]
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Antsnio Mota [mailto:amsmota@xxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 1:56 PM
> To: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re:  excluding descendants (and all of their descendants
> as well)
>
>
> <xsl:value-of
select="/techinfo/system/descinfo/para-seq/para/*[not(self::system)]
>
> if i 'm not mistaken...
>
> On 8/31/05, Woods, Christopher <cwoods@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > How does one find all text elements that are descendants of the first para
element but exclude any text element that is a descendant of the second system
element?
> >
> > <techinfo>
> >   <system>
> >     <descinfo>
> >       <para-seq>
> >         <para>
> >           <text>The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy systems
engineer.</text>
> >           <text>Hello world.</text>
> >           <style>
> >             <text>In the matter of Jardyce v. Jardyce:</text>
> >           </style>
> >           <system>
> >              <descinfo>
> >                  <para-seq>
> >                      <para>
> >                           <text>Blah, blah, blah...</text>
> >                            <text>more gibberish.</text>
> >                            <style>
> >                                <text>Nasty, Brutish, and Short Attorneys
at Law</text>
> >                            </style>
> >                         </para>
> >                       </para-seq>
> >                   </descinfo>
> >                </system>
> >             </para>
> >          </para-seq>
> >       </descinfo>
> >    </system>
> > </techinfo>
> >
> > Thanks very much.