select ancestor::* : ancestor « XPath « XML Tutorial

File: Data.xml

<book>
  <chapter>
    <title>A</title>
    <para>para1</para>
    <para>para2</para>
  </chapter>

  <chapter>
    <title>B</title>
    <para>line 2</para>
    <para>line 3</para>
  </chapter>

  <afterword>
    <para>line 4</para>
  </afterword>

  <appendix>
    <title>The Author</title>
    <para>line 5</para>
    <para>line 6</para>
  </appendix>


</book>
File: Transform.xslt
<xsl:stylesheet xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform"
  version="1.0">
  <xsl:output method="html" />

  <xsl:template match="para">
    <h1>Unaccounted for para element</h1>
    <h2>Ancestors</h2>
    <xsl:for-each select="ancestor::*">
      <xsl:value-of select="name()" />
      <xsl:if test="position() != last()">
        <xsl:text>, </xsl:text>
      </xsl:if>
    </xsl:for-each>
    <h2>Content</h2>
    <xsl:apply-templates />
  </xsl:template>
  

  <xsl:template match="book">
    <html>
      <body>
        <xsl:apply-templates />
      </body>
    </html>
  </xsl:template>

  <xsl:template match="title">
    <h1>
      <xsl:apply-templates />
    </h1>
  </xsl:template>

  <xsl:template match="chapter/para">
    <paragraph>
      <font face="times">
        <xsl:apply-templates />
      </font>
    </paragraph>
  </xsl:template>

  <xsl:template match="appendix/para">
    <paragraph>
      <font face="arial">
        <xsl:apply-templates />
      </font>
    </paragraph>
  </xsl:template>

</xsl:stylesheet>

4.5.ancestor
	4.5.1.	What is Ancestor Axis
	4.5.2.	select ancestor::*
	4.5.3.	select="ancestor::names/child::name[1]/child::family"
	4.5.4.	Is product the ancestor of 'Java'?
	4.5.5.	for-each select="ancestor::*"