When you use the methods discussed under the preceding sections (How to Add Elements and Attributes from the Target Schema and How to Add Literal Elements and Attributes When No Target Schema Is Present) to add nodes to the XSLT pane, these nodes are created as empty nodes unless you map them to source nodes. Also, when you add a complex node to the XSLT pane, all required nodes under the complex node are created automatically.

You can also set the XSL Map Initialization Options in the XSL Maps: XSL Editor preferences page to generate empty nodes when a map is created. See How to Set the XSL Editor Preferences for more information.