class REXML::XPathParser

def first( path_stack, node )

FIXME: This method is incomplete!

first match. This is the fastest, lightest way to return a single result.
Performs a depth-first (document order) XPath search, and returns the 
def first( path_stack, node )
  return nil if path.size == 0
  case path[0]
  when :document
    # do nothing
    return first( path[1..-1], node )
  when :child
    for c in node.children
      r = first( path[1..-1], c )
      return r if r
    end
  when :qname
    name = path[2]
    if node.name == name
      return node if path.size == 3
      return first( path[3..-1], node )
    else
      return nil
    end
  when :descendant_or_self
    r = first( path[1..-1], node )
    return r if r
    for c in node.children
      r = first( path, c )
      return r if r
    end
  when :node
    return first( path[1..-1], node )
  when :any
    return first( path[1..-1], node )
  end
  return nil
end