XPath Syntax and Expressions
Estimated study time: 16 minutes.
XPath expressions describe a path through an XML document's tree, combining simple building blocks to select exactly the nodes you need.
Absolute vs Relative Paths
/course/modules/module <!-- absolute: starts from the root -->
modules/module <!-- relative: starts from the current node -->
//module <!-- selects module anywhere in the document -->Selecting Attributes
//course/@idThe @ symbol selects an attribute rather than an element.
Predicates (Filtering)
//module[1] <!-- the first module element -->
//course[@level='beginner'] <!-- course with a specific attribute value -->
//module[text()='SQL for Analysis'] <!-- module matching exact text -->Predicates, written in square brackets, filter the selected nodes down to only those matching a condition.
Wildcards
//* <!-- every element in the document -->
/course/* <!-- every direct child of course -->
//module/@* <!-- every attribute on every module element -->Combining Conditions
//course[@level='beginner' and @id]💡 Tip: Start with
// while exploring an unfamiliar document — it finds matching elements anywhere, which is more forgiving than getting an absolute path exactly right on the first try.