# Axis steps

The basic primitive for accessing a source document is the axis step. Axis steps may be combined into path expressions using the path operators `/` and `//`, and they may be filtered using filter expressions in the same way as the result of any other expression.

An axis step has the basic form `axis :: node-test`, and selects nodes on a given axis that satisfy the node-test. The axes available are:

ancestor | Selects ancestor nodes starting with the current node and ending with the document node
ancestor-or-self | Selects the current node plus all ancestor nodes
attribute | Selects all attributes of the current node (if it is an element)
child | Selects the children of the current node, in documetn order
descendant | Selects the children of the current node and their children, recursively (in document order)
descendant-or-self | Selects the current node plus all descendant nodes
following | Selects the nodes that follow the current node in document order, other than its descendants
following-sibling | Selects all subsequent child nodes of the same parent node
namespace | Selects all the in-scope namespaces for an element (this axis is deprecated in XPath 2.0, but Saxon continues to support it)
parent | Selects the parent of the current node
preceding | Selects the nodes that precede the current node in document order, other than its ancestors
preceding-sibling | Selects all preceding child nodes of the same parent node
self | Selects the current node

When the child axis is used, `child::` may be omitted, and when the attribute axis is used, `attribute::` may be abbviated to `@`. The expression `parent::node()` may be shortened to `..`

The expression `.` is no longer synonymous with `self::node()`, since it may now select items that are not nodes. If the context item is not a node, any use of a path expression will raise an error.

The node-test may be, for example:

- a node name

- `prefix:*` to select nodes in a given namespace

- `*:localname` to select nodes with a given local name, regardless of namespace

- `text()` (to select text nodes)

- `node()` (to select any node)

- `processing-instruction()` (to select any processing instruction)

- `processing-instruction('literal')` to select processing instructions with the given name (target)

- `comment()` to select comment nodes

- `element()` or `element(*)` to select any element node

- `element(N)` to select any element node named N

- `element(*, T)` to select any element node whose type annotation is T, or a subtype of T

- `element(N, T)` to select any element node whose name is N and whose type annotation is T, or a subtype of T

- `schema-element(N)` to select any element node whose name is N, or an element in the substitution group of N, that conforms to the schema-defined type for a global element declaration named N in an imported schema

- `attribute` or `attribute(*)` to select any attribute node

- `attrbute(N)` to select any attribute node named N

- `attribute(*, T)` to select any attribute node whose type annotation is T, or a subtype of T

- `attribute(N, T)` to select any attribute node whose name is N and whose type annotation is T, or a subtype of T

- `schema-attribute(N)` to select any attribute node whose name is N, that conforms to the schema-defined type for a global attribute declaration named N in an imported schema

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