During discussion of streaming use cases, the XSL WG identified that it would help both users and implementors if the stereotypical use of the identity template to override the standard built-in template(s) could be expressed more declaratively.

For example, one might have an attribute at xsl:stylesheet level, or a per-mode declaration such as

<xsl:mode name="mode-name"
  default-action="copy|copy-text|delete|continue|error"/>

where "copy-text" is the current default (copy text nodes only, drop everything else), "copy" means copy all nodes (the so-called identity template), "delete" means delete the entire subtree rooted at the node, "continue" means apply-templates to the children, and "error" means throw a dynamic error; with the default applying to the named mode or in the absence of a mode-name to the default mode.

It was also noted that a common stereotype for the default template is to rename elements, and perhaps we should also provide for this.