CODEWITHSUNDEEP
xmlxpath
nickf
nickf

Reputation: 546433

XPath to select multiple tags

Given this simplified data format:

<a>
    <b>
        <c>C1</c>
        <d>D1</d>
        <e>E1</e>
        <f>don't select this one</f>
    </b>
    <b>
        <c>C2</c>
        <d>D2</d>
        <e>E1</e>
        <g>don't select me</g>
    </b>
    <c>not this one</c>
    <d>nor this one</d>
    <e>definitely not this one</e>
</a>

How would you select all the Cs, Ds and Es that are children of B elements?

Basically, something like:

a/b/(c|d|e)

In my own situation, instead of just a/b/, the query leading up to selecting those C, D, E nodes is actually quite complex so I'd like to avoid doing this:

a/b/c|a/b/d|a/b/e

Is this possible?

Upvotes: 170

Views: 201175

Answers (4)

Dimitre Novatchev
Dimitre Novatchev

Reputation: 243579

One correct answer is:

/a/b/*[self::c or self::d or self::e]

Do note that this

a/b/*[local-name()='c' or local-name()='d' or local-name()='e']

is both too-long and incorrect. This XPath expression will select nodes like:

OhMy:c

NotWanted:d 

QuiteDifferent:e

Upvotes: 261

annakata
annakata

Reputation: 75872

You can avoid the repetition with an attribute test instead:

a/b/*[local-name()='c' or local-name()='d' or local-name()='e']

Contrary to Dimitre's antagonistic opinion, the above is not incorrect in a vacuum where the OP has not specified the interaction with namespaces. The self:: axis is namespace restrictive, local-name() is not. If the OP's intention is to capture c|d|e regardless of namespace (which I'd suggest is even a likely scenario given the OR nature of the problem) then it is "another answer that still has some positive votes" which is incorrect.

You can't be definitive without definition, though I'm quite happy to delete my answer as genuinely incorrect if the OP clarifies his question such that I am incorrect.

Upvotes: 53

Pavel Repin
Pavel Repin

Reputation: 30953

Why not a/b/(c|d|e)? I just tried with Saxon XML library (wrapped up nicely with some Clojure goodness), and it seems to work. abc.xml is the doc described by OP.

(require '[saxon :as xml])
(def abc-doc (xml/compile-xml (slurp "abc.xml")))
(xml/query "a/b/(c|d|e)" abc-doc)
=> (#<XdmNode <c>C1</c>>
    #<XdmNode <d>D1</d>>
    #<XdmNode <e>E1</e>>
    #<XdmNode <c>C2</c>>
    #<XdmNode <d>D2</d>>
    #<XdmNode <e>E1</e>>)

Upvotes: 16

Calvin
Calvin

Reputation: 4619

Not sure if this helps, but with XSL, I'd do something like:

<xsl:for-each select="a/b">
    <xsl:value-of select="c"/>
    <xsl:value-of select="d"/>
    <xsl:value-of select="e"/>
</xsl:for-each>

and won't this XPath select all children of B nodes:

a/b/*

Upvotes: -3

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