diff --git a/specifications/xpath-functions-40/src/function-catalog.xml b/specifications/xpath-functions-40/src/function-catalog.xml
index 65d93e7db..9a86413a2 100644
--- a/specifications/xpath-functions-40/src/function-catalog.xml
+++ b/specifications/xpath-functions-40/src/function-catalog.xml
@@ -25523,6 +25523,14 @@ return json-to-xml($json, $options)]]></eg>
                   "record", "sequence", "mixed", "xml"))</fos:type>
                <fos:default>map{}</fos:default>
             </fos:option>
+            <fos:option key="disable-layouts">
+               <fos:meaning>A list of layouts that will not be used for elements unless they are
+                  selected explicitly. (Note that <code>mixed</code> and <code>xml</code>
+                  layout cannot be disabled.)</fos:meaning>
+               <fos:type>enum("empty", "empty-plus", "simple", "simple-plus", "list", "list-plus", 
+                  "record", "sequence")*</fos:type>
+               <fos:default>()</fos:default>
+            </fos:option>
          </fos:options>
          
          
diff --git a/specifications/xpath-functions-40/src/xpath-functions.xml b/specifications/xpath-functions-40/src/xpath-functions.xml
index b30a992b6..61db7a862 100644
--- a/specifications/xpath-functions-40/src/xpath-functions.xml
+++ b/specifications/xpath-functions-40/src/xpath-functions.xml
@@ -7842,12 +7842,13 @@ return <table>
                   <item>                    
                      <p>If the <code>uniform</code> option is set to <code>true</code>, then the same layout
                      will be used for all elements with a given name. This means that all elements need to be
-                     examined before any element is converted. The layout chosen is the first one (in the order of
-                     presentation in the following sections) whose match predicate matches every element with
-                     the relevant name.</p>
+                     examined before any element is converted.</p>
                   </item>              
                </ulist>
                
+               <p>It is possible to disable some of the layouts so they will never be chosen by the automatic rules,
+               but only when explicitly selected.</p>
+               
                <p>The advantage of using schema information is that it gives a consistent representation for all
                elements of a particular type, even if they vary in content: for example if an element type allows optional
                attributes, the JSON representation will be consistent between those elements that have attributes and those
@@ -7870,15 +7871,7 @@ return <table>
                      on the layout chosen for its parent element..</p>
                   <note><p>The <code>fn:elements-to-maps</code> function produces maps as its result, but it is convenient
                   to illustrate the form of the map by showing the effect of serializing the map as JSON.</p></note></item>
-                  <!--<item><p><term>XSD conditions</term>: the properties of the XSD type definition that cause this
-                  layout to be selected. The first layout (in the order they appear in this specification) 
-                  that meets these conditions will be chosen. Note that two elements with the same name may
-                  have different XSD type definitions.</p></item>
-                  <item><p><term>Match predicate</term>: an XPath 4.0 expression, to be evaluated with an element node
-                     as the context item, whose effective boolean value indicates whether this layout is suited
-                     to a particular element node. The first layout whose match predicate evaluates
-                     to <code>true</code> will be chosen.</p>
-                  </item>-->
+                  
                   <item><p><term>Mapping rules</term>: The rules for mapping the XML element to an XDM map
                   representation.</p></item>
                   <item><p><term>Mapping for nilled elements</term>: special rules that apply to an
@@ -8678,13 +8671,20 @@ return <table>
                <olist>
                   <item><p>If an explicit layout is given for the element name of <code>$E</code> in the
                   options argument of the <code>fn:elements-to-maps</code> function call, then that layout is used.</p></item>
+                  
                   <item><p>Let <code>$elements</code> be the value of the first argument to the
                   <code>fn:elements-to-maps</code> function call.</p></item>
+                  
+                  <item><p>A layout is said to be disabled if its name is listed in the <code>disable-layouts</code>
+                  option.</p></item>
+                  
                   <item><p>If the <code>uniform</code> option is true, then let <code>$EE</code> be
                   the set of all elements with the same name as <code>$E</code>, specifically
                   <code>$elements/descendant-or-self::*[node-name(.) eq node-name($E)]</code>.</p>
                   <p>If the <code>uniform</code> option is false, then let <code>$EE</code> be <code>$E</code>.</p></item>
+                  
                   <item><p>Let <var>T</var> be the type identified by the type annotation of <code>$E</code>.</p></item>
+                  
                   <item><p>If <var>T</var> is <code>xs:untyped</code> or <code>xs:anyType</code>, then:</p>
                      <olist>
                         <item>
@@ -8692,16 +8692,20 @@ return <table>
                               are no child elements or text nodes) then:</p>
                            <olist>
                               <item><p>If <code>empty($EE/@*)</code> (that is, if there 
-                                 are no attributes) then <code>empty</code>: see <specref ref="id-empty-layout"/>.</p></item>
-                              <item><p>Otherwise <code>empty-plus</code>: see <specref ref="id-empty-plus-layout"/>.</p></item>
+                                 are no attributes) and if <code>empty</code> layout is not disabled,
+                                 then <code>empty</code>: see <specref ref="id-empty-layout"/>.</p></item>
+                              <item><p>Otherwise, if <code>empty-plus</code> layout is not disabled,
+                                 then <code>empty-plus</code>: see <specref ref="id-empty-plus-layout"/>.</p></item>
                            </olist> 
                         </item>
                         <item>
                            <p>If <code>empty($EE/*)</code> (that is, if there are no child elements) then:</p>
                            <olist>
                               <item><p>If <code>empty($EE/@*)</code> (that is, if there 
-                                 are no attributes) then <code>simple</code>: see <specref ref="id-simple-layout"/>.</p></item>
-                              <item><p>Otherwise <code>simple-plus</code>: see <specref ref="id-simple-plus-layout"/>.</p></item>
+                                 are no attributes), and if <code>simple</code> layout is not disabled,
+                                 then <code>simple</code>: see <specref ref="id-simple-layout"/>.</p></item>
+                              <item><p>Otherwise, if <code>simple-plus</code> layout is not disabled,
+                                 then <code>simple-plus</code>: see <specref ref="id-simple-plus-layout"/>.</p></item>
                            </olist>
                         </item>
                         <item>
@@ -8714,22 +8718,26 @@ return <table>
                                  elements), then:</p>
                                  <olist>
                                     <item><p>If <code>empty($EE/@*)</code> (that is, if there 
-                                       are no attributes) then <code>list</code>: see <specref ref="id-list-layout"/>.</p></item>
-                                    <item><p>Otherwise <code>list-plus</code>: see <specref ref="id-list-plus-layout"/>.</p></item>
+                                       are no attributes), and if <code>list</code> layout is not disabled,
+                                       then <code>list</code>: see <specref ref="id-list-layout"/>.</p></item>
+                                    <item><p>Otherwise, if <code>list-plus</code> layout is not disabled,
+                                       then <code>list-plus</code>: see <specref ref="id-list-plus-layout"/>.</p></item>
                                  </olist>
                               </item>
                               <item>
                                  <p>If <code>every $e in $EE satisfies all-different($e/*/node-name())</code>
                                  (that is, the child elements are uniquely named among their siblings),
+                                 and if <code>record</code> layout is not disabled,
                                  then <code>record</code>: see <specref ref="id-record-layout"/>.</p>
                               </item>
                               <item>
-                                 <p>Otherwise, <code>sequence</code>: : see <specref ref="id-sequence-layout"/>.</p>
+                                 <p>Otherwise, if <code>sequence</code> layout is not disabled,
+                                    then <code>sequence</code>: see <specref ref="id-sequence-layout"/>.</p>
                               </item>
                            </olist>
                         </item>
                         <item>
-                           <p>Otherwise, <code>mixed</code>: : see <specref ref="id-mixed-layout"/>.</p>
+                           <p>Otherwise, <code>mixed</code>: see <specref ref="id-mixed-layout"/>.</p>
                         </item>
                      </olist>          
                   </item>
@@ -8767,10 +8775,12 @@ return <table>
                            <p>If <var>T</var> is a simple type:</p>
                            <olist>
                               <item>
-                                 <p>If <code>zeroLength(T)</code>, then <code>empty</code>: see <specref ref="id-empty-layout"/>.</p>
+                                 <p>If <code>zeroLength(T)</code>, and if <code>empty</code> layout is 
+                                    not disabled, then <code>empty</code>: see <specref ref="id-empty-layout"/>.</p>
                               </item>
                               <item>
-                                 <p>Otherwise, <code>simple</code>: see <specref ref="id-simple-layout"/>.</p>
+                                 <p>Otherwise, if <code>simple</code> layout is not disabled, then 
+                                    <code>simple</code>: see <specref ref="id-simple-layout"/>.</p>
                               </item>
                            </olist>
                         </item>
@@ -8785,8 +8795,10 @@ return <table>
                               <item>
                                  <p>If <code>T.{content type}.{variety} = empty</code>, then:</p>
                                  <olist>
-                                    <item><p>If <code>$noAttributes</code> then <code>empty</code>: see <specref ref="id-empty-layout"/>.</p></item>
-                                    <item><p>Otherwise, <code>empty-plus</code>: see <specref ref="id-empty-plus-layout"/>.</p></item>
+                                    <item><p>If <code>$noAttributes</code> and if <code>empty</code> layout is not disabled,
+                                       then <code>empty</code>: see <specref ref="id-empty-layout"/>.</p></item>
+                                    <item><p>Otherwise, if <code>empty-plus</code> layout is not disabled, 
+                                       then <code>empty-plus</code>: see <specref ref="id-empty-plus-layout"/>.</p></item>
                                  </olist>
                               </item>
                               <item>
@@ -8799,15 +8811,19 @@ return <table>
                                     <item>
                                        <p>If <code>zeroLength(ST)</code>, then:</p>
                                        <olist>
-                                          <item><p>If <code>$noAttributes</code> then <code>empty</code>: see <specref ref="id-empty-layout"/>.</p></item>
-                                          <item><p>Otherwise, <code>empty-plus</code>: see <specref ref="id-empty-plus-layout"/>.</p></item>
+                                          <item><p>If <code>$noAttributes</code> and if <code>empty</code> layout is 
+                                             not disabled, then <code>empty</code>: see <specref ref="id-empty-layout"/>.</p></item>
+                                          <item><p>Otherwise, if <code>empty-plus</code> layout is not disabled,
+                                             then <code>empty-plus</code>: see <specref ref="id-empty-plus-layout"/>.</p></item>
                                        </olist>
                                     </item>
                                     <item>
                                        <p>Otherwise:</p>
                                        <olist>
-                                          <item><p>If <code>$noAttributes</code> then <code>simple</code>: see <specref ref="id-simple-layout"/>.</p></item>
-                                          <item><p>Otherwise, <code>simple-plus</code>: see <specref ref="id-simple-plus-layout"/>.</p></item>
+                                          <item><p>If <code>$noAttributes</code> and if <code>simple</code> layout 
+                                             is not disabled, then <code>simple</code>: see <specref ref="id-simple-layout"/>.</p></item>
+                                          <item><p>Otherwise, if <code>simple-plus</code> layout is not disabled,
+                                             then <code>simple-plus</code>: see <specref ref="id-simple-plus-layout"/>.</p></item>
                                        </olist>
                                     </item>
                                  </olist>
@@ -8831,21 +8847,26 @@ return <table>
                                        <p>If <code>$noWildcards</code> is true, and if <code>$childCardinalities</code>
                                           contains a single entry, and that entry has a cardinality greater than one, then:</p>
                                        <olist>
-                                          <item><p>If <code>$noAttributes</code>, then <code>list</code>: see <specref ref="id-list-layout"/>.</p></item>
-                                          <item><p>Otherwise, <code>list-plus</code>: see <specref ref="id-list-plus-layout"/>.</p></item>
+                                          <item><p>If <code>$noAttributes</code>, and if <code>list</code> layout 
+                                             is not disabled, then <code>list</code>: see <specref ref="id-list-layout"/>.</p></item>
+                                          <item><p>Otherwise, if <code>list-plus</code> layout is not disabled, 
+                                             then <code>list-plus</code>: see <specref ref="id-list-plus-layout"/>.</p></item>
                                        </olist>
                                     </item>
                                     <item>
                                        <p>If <code>$noWildcards</code> is true, and if every entry in <code>$childCardinalities</code>
-                                          has a cardinality of one, then <code>record</code>: see <specref ref="id-record-layout"/>.</p>
+                                          has a cardinality of one, and if <code>record</code> layout is not disabled,
+                                          then <code>record</code>: see <specref ref="id-record-layout"/>.</p>
                                     </item>
                                     <item>
-                                       <p>Otherwise, <code>sequence</code>: see <specref ref="id-sequence-layout"/>.</p>
+                                       <p>Otherwise, if <code>sequence</code> layout is not disabled,
+                                          then <code>sequence</code>: see <specref ref="id-sequence-layout"/>.</p>
                                     </item>
                                  </olist>
                               </item>
                               <item>
-                                 <p>Otherwise (when <code>T.{content type}.{variety} = mixed</code>), then <code>mixed</code>: see <specref ref="id-mixed-layout"/>.</p>
+                                 <p>Otherwise (that is, when <code>T.{content type}.{variety} = mixed</code>, or when all other
+                                    applicable layouts have been disabled), then <code>mixed</code>: see <specref ref="id-mixed-layout"/>.</p>
                               </item>
                            </olist>
                         </item>