evaluateXPathExpression attributes of element with namespace

[patMorita]

I have an xml like this (reduced example):

<root xmlns:test="http://ns.test.com/test/2.0">
    <test:master>
        <test:graphic control="ABC"/>
        <test:textframe>TEXT</test:textframe> 
    </test:master>

    <test:master>
        <test:graphic control="XYZ"/>
        <test:textframe>TEXT</test:textframe> 
    </test:master>
</root>

As you can see the "test:graphic" element contains a "control" attribute.

I'd like to get all elements with a "control" attribute of the first "master" element with evaluateXPathExpression.

WITHOUT namespaces this code works:

var root = doc.xmlElements[0]; // doc is the current document
var xmlElements = root.xmlElements[0].evaluateXPathExpression("//*[@control]");
--> 1 result

But WITH namespaces it doesn't:

var namespaces = new Array(new Array("test","http://ns.test.com/test/2.0"));
var root = doc.xmlElements[0]; // doc is the current document
var xmlElements = root.xmlElements[0].evaluateXPathExpression("//*[@control]",namespaces);
--> 0 results

Althoug it works WITH namespaces on the root element (not on the first "master" like above) 

var namespaces = new Array(new Array("test","http://ns.test.com/test/2.0"));
var root = doc.xmlElements[0]; // doc is the current document
var xmlElements = root.evaluateXPathExpression("//*[@control]",namespaces); //
--> 2 results

So i was wondering what am i doing wrong and how adress only a specific "master" element.

[Dirk Becker]

Try "//*[@*[local-name()='control']]"

[patMorita]

Hi Dirk

Thank you for your help!

It works if i adress the root

var namespaces = new Array(new Array("test","http://ns.test.com/test/2.0"));
var root = doc.xmlElements[0]; // doc is the current document
var xmlElements = root.evaluateXPathExpression("//*[@*[local-name()='control']]",namespaces); //
--> 2 results

But it doesn't if i adress a child of root (what i'm looking for)

var namespaces = new Array(new Array("test","http://ns.test.com/test/2.0"));
var root = doc.xmlElements[0]; // doc is the current document
var xmlElements = root.xmlELements[0].evaluateXPathExpression("//*[@*[local-name()='control']]",namespaces); //
--> 0 results

Maybe there's another approach? Is there a possibility to adress the n'th element of root like so:

root.evaluateXPathExpression("//test:master[n]/*[@control]",namespaces)

[patMorita · Accepted solution]

I think i found a solution:

root.evaluateXPathExpression("//test:master[1]/*[@control]",namespaces);

[Dirk Becker]

Good that you found that yourself, before re-reading your original post I had assumed your actual trouble was with the missing namespace on the attribute name, rather than addressing the first test:master element. Apparently with your apporach the attribute now works even without that complex expression.

Note that the double slash asks to search the test:master at any depth, it should be possible to just use a single slash - or would it be "/root/test:master ..."? This may become performance relevant with larger structures. There should also be an advantage when you start off from your root.xmlElements[0], of course if you get it to work at all.

I currently wonder why you need that extra namespaces argument, given there is already the xmlns:test at the root. On the other hand I haven't used namespaces for in-document XML (strip them out with an XSLT during import) and when I use xpath at all I use xmlRules for historical reasons (some bugs fixed back in CS5).