XPath for hierarchical column / name-value properties?

Question

I am trying to find the XPath of the below XML. Its consists of properties array list. I need to fetch the value for 'COMPUTER'.

<output  xmlns:tns="http://www.ariuy.org/" custname="marcus" >
    <tns:column name="customer_english_name">marcus ag</tns:column>
    <tns:column name="customer_primary_name">marcus ag</tns:column>
   
    <tns:reqline>
        <tns:orderline user_item_description="xyz">
            <tns:column name="properties">
                <tns:column name="name">COMPUTER</tns:column>
                <tns:column name="value">HCL </tns:column>
            </tns:column>
            <tns:column name="properties">
                <tns:column name="name">LAPTOP</tns:column>
                <tns:column name="value">HP</tns:column>
            </tns:column>
            <tns:column name="properties">
                <tns:column name="name">PHONE</tns:column>
                <tns:column name="value">MI</tns:column>
            </tns:column>
            <tns:column name="properties">
                <tns:column name="name">JOB</tns:column>
                <tns:column name="value">Developer</tns:column>
            </tns:column>
            
            ......
       
        </tns:orderline>
    </tns:reqline>
</output>

I have tried

/tns:output/tns:reqline/tns:OrderLine/tns:properties[@name='COMPUTER']/@value

but it is not working.

What value exactly are you trying to fetch? – Jack Fleeting Jul 03 '20 at 14:27 — Jack Fleeting, Jul 03 '20 at 14:27

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 03 '20 at 14:48

1

To fecth HCL(value under COMPUTER), you can go with :

(//*[name()="tns:column"][@name="properties"])[1]/*[2]/text()

Look for the first column element with a specific attribute of the page. Then select its second child.

Or more secure option :

//*[name()="tns:column"][preceding-sibling::*[name()="tns:column"][.="COMPUTER"]]/text()

Look anywhere for a column element where its preceding-sibling contains the value "COMPUTER".

answered Jul 03 '20 at 14:48

E.Wiest

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These answers are characteristic of a class of answers that can be shorter and more general (+1) than the one I posted, at the expense of efficiency, which won't matter at all for typical documents, but could for database dumps or other large documents. – kjhughes Jul 03 '20 at 15:28

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 03 '20 at 14:48

0

Assuming that you have the namespace prefix tns properly declared to abbreviate the http://www.ariuy.org/ namespace value...

This XPath,

/output/tns:reqline/tns:orderline
  /tns:column[@name='properties'][tns:column[@name='name']='COMPUTER']
  /tns:column[@name='value']

will select

<tns:column name="value">HCL </tns:column>

as requested.

answered Jul 03 '20 at 14:48

kjhughes

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Downvoter: Tell me what you think is wrong, and I'll fix or explain. Thanks. – kjhughes Jul 03 '20 at 15:06
Thanks.. but it return null value for me – Anurag Jul 03 '20 at 19:29
Then you've made a mistake, likely related to namespace prefix declarations. See the provided link to correct that problem. – kjhughes Jul 03 '20 at 21:58

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 03 '20 at 17:05

0

You say:

/tns:output/tns:reqline/tns:OrderLine/tns:properties[@name='COMPUTER']/@value

Well

(a) the output element is not in the tns namespace

(b) the orderline element starts with o not O

(c) you don't have an element called tns:properties

(d) there's no @name attribute whose value is "COMPUTER"

(e) there's no @value attribute anywhere.

That's a lot of errors for one line of code.

Others have given you working solutions, but I think it's important you understand why your attempt is wrong.

answered Jul 03 '20 at 17:05

Michael Kay

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Well ....There is no element called properties but there is array of elements. I need to fetch value of computer – Anurag Jul 03 '20 at 18:03
According to you what should be the path? – Anurag Jul 03 '20 at 18:06
I started such a list mentally while fixing OP's XPath but lost track and decided it wasn't worth cycling back for so many egregious errors. Interesting to see now that neither a list of errors to fix nor a working solution suits. – kjhughes Jul 03 '20 at 22:08
@Anurag, with a question like this I prefer to encourage you to solve the problem yourself rather than solving it for you. Sorry if I'm being a bit nanny-ish here, but I think it's a better use of my time. – Michael Kay Jul 04 '20 at 08:07

XPath for hierarchical column / name-value properties?

3 Answers3