Joe,

You asked me why EXSLT failed to work…

I initially tried to use EXSLT which failed only because I stopped trying. 
The software I found for it was from 2001 and required a 30-day trial license 
key, which I did not have. So, while looking for other options I learned XSLT 
2.0 was out and began researching it. I found comments about it that appeared 
to address this exact “XPath from a string” issue so I posted the question on 
this discussion board. I had been staying away from Saxon and EXSLT since 
they incur additional software license fees and issues I did not want to deal 
with (problems concerning software written for government use). Despite this, 
it looks as though I will have to use Saxon or EXSLT until I find a .NET 
alternative or can figure out how to code a custom solution.

I am uncertain whether I am using XML.NET or MSXML. I am writing the XML and 
XSLT using VS 2005 and rendering it through IE7. So, I do not know which XML 
engine it is using.

Sincerest thanks for your assistance.