diff --git a/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_if_handler.hpp b/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_if_handler.hpp
index 8a91fe25..7d2895dc 100644
--- a/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_if_handler.hpp
+++ b/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_if_handler.hpp
@@ -9,24 +9,25 @@ namespace Arabica
 namespace XSLT
 {
 
-class IfHandler : public ItemContainerHandler<If>
+template<class string_type, class string_adaptor>
+class IfHandler : public ItemContainerHandler<If<string_type, string_adaptor> >
 {
 public:
-  IfHandler(CompilationContext<std::string>& context) :
-      ItemContainerHandler<If>(context)
+  IfHandler(CompilationContext<string_type, string_adaptor>& context) :
+      ItemContainerHandler<If<string_type, string_adaptor> >(context)
   {
   } // IfHandler
 
-  virtual If* createContainer(const std::string& /* namespaceURI */,
-                              const std::string& /* localName */,
-                              const std::string& qName,
-                              const SAX::Attributes<std::string>& atts)
+  virtual If<string_type, string_adaptor>* createContainer(const string_type& /* namespaceURI */,
+                              const string_type& /* localName */,
+                              const string_type& qName,
+                              const SAX::Attributes<string_type, string_adaptor>& atts)
   {
     static const ValueRule rules[] = { { "test", true, 0, 0 },
                                        { 0, false, 0, 0 } };
     std::string test = gatherAttributes(qName, atts, rules)["test"];
 
-    return new If(ItemContainerHandler<If>::context().xpath_expression(test));
+    return new If<string_type, string_adaptor>(ItemContainerHandler<If<string_type, string_adaptor> >::context().xpath_expression(test));
   } // startElement
 }; // class IfHandler
 
diff --git a/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_item_container_handler.hpp b/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_item_container_handler.hpp
index d4fdfa4e..39ceaa6f 100644
--- a/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_item_container_handler.hpp
+++ b/include/XSLT/impl/handler/xslt_item_container_handler.hpp
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ const ChildElement* AllowedChildren()
     { "element", CreateHandler<ElementHandler> },
     { "fallback", CreateHandler<NotImplementedYetHandler>},
     { "for-each", CreateHandler<ForEachHandler> },
-    { "if", CreateHandler<IfHandler> },
+    { "if", CreateHandler<IfHandler<std::string, Arabica::default_string_adaptor<std::string> > > },
     { "message", CreateHandler<MessageHandler>},
     { "number", CreateHandler<NotImplementedYetHandler>},
     { "processing-instruction", CreateHandler<ProcessingInstructionHandler> },
diff --git a/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_if.hpp b/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_if.hpp
index 008e2a7c..e4696015 100644
--- a/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_if.hpp
+++ b/include/XSLT/impl/xslt_if.hpp
@@ -8,17 +8,19 @@ namespace Arabica
 namespace XSLT
 {
 
+template<class string_type, class string_adaptor>
 class If : public ItemContainer
 {
 public:
-  If(Arabica::XPath::XPathExpressionPtr<std::string> test) :
+  If(Arabica::XPath::XPathExpressionPtr<string_type, string_adaptor> test) :
     test_(test)
   { 
   } // If
 
   virtual ~If() { }
 
-  virtual void execute(const DOM::Node<std::string>& node, ExecutionContext& context) const
+  virtual void execute(const DOM::Node<string_type, string_adaptor>& node, 
+                       ExecutionContext& context) const
   {
     ChainStackFrame frame(context);
     if(test_->evaluateAsBool(node, context.xpathContext()))
@@ -26,7 +28,7 @@ public:
   } // execute
 
 private:
-  Arabica::XPath::XPathExpressionPtr<std::string> test_;
+  Arabica::XPath::XPathExpressionPtr<string_type, string_adaptor> test_;
 }; // class If
 
 } // namespace XSLT