[xsl] determining the existence of an element

Subject: [xsl] determining the existence of an element
From: Esther_Strom@xxxxxxxx
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 17:06:10 -0500
Please bear with me as I'm very new to XSL... I know how to use xsl:if to
test the value of an element, but is there any way to test for the
existence of an element?

For example, I have a table setup in the header of a printed page. It's
divided into zones, which are marked up as Zone1, Zone2, Zone3, etc. So I
could have an xml file like so:

<PageMeta>
<HeaderConfig>
<FirstPageHead>
      <Zone1>The Necklace</Zone1>
      <Zone2>Summary</Zone2>
      <Zone3>Spanish</Zone3>
      <Zone4>Copymaster</Zone4>
</FirstPageHead>
</HeaderConfig>
</PageMeta>

In my xsl file, I'm setting up FO tables - not all xml files will have all
zones filled, so I want the xsl to be open to any possible configuration of
zones. Is there a way to say, for example, if Zone4 does not exist then
Zone2 has a number-rows-spanned value of 2?
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