Hi,
preceding axis does not include ancestor descendants, so I am using
//<test>[. &lt;&lt; current()]
to get "true" precedings of the node

The code works, however I am wondering if there is a better way

Why can't you use the union
  preceding::* | ancestor::*
?

	Martin Honnen --- MVP Data Platform Development
	http://msmvps.com/blogs/martin_honnen/