In order to have (1) <abc>text</abc> behave the same as (2) <abc> text </abc> one can use \xmlstripped{node}{lpath}. However, the drawback is that I found there is no further node expansion of inner content. For example \xmlstripped with <abc>text <somenode/> text</abc> returned "text <somenode/> text". I have already reported earlier that I could not see \xmlstrip{node} {lpath} work as I understood it. That is, it seems to me that in: \startxmlsetups xml:abc \xmlstrip{#1}{} \stopxmlsetups this would strip the spaces from (2) above. It didn't do that, while I also tried of course \xmlstrip in the node enclosing <abc>, also to no avail. As a work around one finds: \startxmlsetups xml:abc \ignorespaces % removes spurious space before \xmltext{#1}{} \unskip % removes spurious space after \stopxmlsetups but it is the sort of a kludge I do not feel happy about, apart from the fact that either this has to be put everywhere or another macro layer put around all \xml's suffering. This boils down to two questions: (1) how about \xmlstrip? (2) is the observed behaviour of \xmlstripped (not expanding nodes below) as it should? As Hans Hagen mentioned before he would have I look into it, I kindly ask if he already has found time for this. Hans van der Meer