XPath Expression

XPath location path expression is a specialize XPath expression to identifies XPath nodes relative to a current context node. location path is like a Linux, Window, Mac file explorer address path.

XPath Location path expression selects a set of nodes relative to the context node. XPath expression evaluate under XPath rules to a context.

Type of XPath location path expression,

XPath Location Path Expression with Examples

XPath Expression (Location Path with Examples)

Following XML document is our experimental document,

xpath_location_path.xml
<?xml version="1.0" standalone="yes"?>
<empinfo>
  <employee id="1">
    <name>Opal Kole</name>
    <designation discipline="web" experience="3 year">Senior Engineer</designation>
    <email>[email protected]</email>
  </employee>
  <employee id="2">
    <name from="CA">Max Miller</name>
    <designation discipline="DBA" experience="2 year">DBA Engineer</designation>
    <email>[email protected]</email>
  </employee>
  <employee id="3">
    <name>Beccaa Moss</name>
    <designation discipline="appdev">Application Developer</designation>
    <email>[email protected]</email>
  </employee>
</empinfo>

XPath Common Identifier Expression For Finding XPath Node (Wildcards)

Following table represent common XPath location identifiers,

Expression Description
. Referring to a context node.
.. Referring to a parent context node.
/ Referring to a root node.
// Referring to a node anywhere within document.
* Referring to all elements that are child of context node.
|
or		 Referring to a OR condition combine expression either first expression or second expression.
and Referring to a AND condition combine expression.
text() Select all text node children of current element.

XPath Element Expression For Finding XPath Node

Element location paths you can define either on relative or absolute.

Relative location path is sequence of child element separated by "/" (forward slash).

element_name/element_name

Absolute location path is beginning to a "/" (forward slash) with root element and after sequence of child element separated by "/" (forward slash).

/root_element/element_name/element_name

Following describing XPath element expressions for locating XPath nodes.

Expression Description
empinfo Direct child element
Select empinfo element all children nodes.
empinfo/employee Child of child element
Select employee node of the empinfo element.
empinfo/employee/name Sequence of child of child element
Select name element of employee element of empinfo element.
/ Root node
/empinfo All child elements of root element
Select all child elements of empinfo element.
/empinfo/employee Child of root element
Select all child element of empinfo root element.
/empinfo/employee/name Sequence of child of root element
Select name element of employee element of empinfo element.
*/employee Select all grand parent element
Select all employee grand parent elements.
// Descendant element
empinfo//employee Descendant of element
Select all employee element of empinfo element.
/empinfo//employee Descendant of root element
Select all employee element in XML document within context node empinfo root element.
//employee/name Child of descendant element
Select all name element in XML document within context node employee element.

XPath Attribute Expression For Finding XPath Node

XPath give you control to create attribute expression for locating node in XML document.

Expression Description
@ Attribute selector identifier
@discipline select discipline attributes of the context.
//employee/@id Element attribute
Select employee elements with id attribute within XML document.
/empinfo/employee/@id Element attribute of the root element
Select employee elements with id attribute of the empinfo root element.
@* all attribute of the context node
//@* All attribute within XML document
//@id id attribute within XML document

XPath Predicates Identifier For Finding XPath Node

XPath predicates identifier return boolean result either True or False.

you can use any relation operators <, >, <=, >=, =, != and boolean operator or, and.

Expression Description
element_name[N] Opening and closing square bracket referring to a specific element sequence number (array sequence).
empinfo/employee[2] Second Child of child element
Select second employee of empinfo element.
empinfo/employee[2]/name Sequence of child of child element
Select name element of second employee element of empinfo element.
element_name[@attribute_name]
empinfo/employee[@id]		 Select element with attribute
Select all employee element with given id attribute.
element_name[@attribute_name=value]
empinfo/employee[@id=2]		 Select element with specified attribute value
Finding employee elements with given attribute and value. Matching only those elements whose attribute and value are specified in XPath expression.
empinfo/employee[@id=2][2] Select all employee element of given attribute and value. At last select only second employee element.
empinfo/employee[1][@id=1] Select first employee element with given attribute and value.
//designation[@discipline and @experience] Selects all the designation element with given first and second both attribute.
//designation[@discipline or @experience]
//designation[@discipline | @experience]		 Select all the designation element with given either first or second, both attribute.