Most elegant way to query XML string using XPath

Question

I'm wondering what the most elegant way is in C# to query a STRING that is valid xml using XPath?

Currently, I am doing this (using LINQ):

var el = XElement.Parse(xmlString);
var h2 = el.XPathSelectElement("//h2");

currently, I'm doing this (using linq): var el = XElement.Parse(xmlString); var h2= el.XPathSelectElement("//h2"); — Scott Klarenbach
– Scott Klarenbach, Commented Aug 17, 2009 at 19:00

Thomas Levesque · Accepted Answer · 2009-08-17 19:29:38Z

21

Simple example using Linq to XML :

XDocument doc = XDocument.Parse(someStringContainingXml);
var cats = from node in doc.Descendants("Animal")
           where node.Attribute("Species").Value == "Cat"
           select node.Attribute("Name").Value;

Much clearer than XPath IMHO...

edited Aug 17, 2009 at 19:29

answered Aug 17, 2009 at 19:03

Thomas Levesque

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5 Comments

David Alpert Over a year ago

may be cleaner than XPath but does not answer the question.

Thomas Levesque Over a year ago

@DavidAlpert, perhaps, but it was accepted nevertheless... Anyway, the question is completely subjective: how do you define "elegant"?

David Alpert Over a year ago

The original question hinges on how you define "elegant... using XPath"

Joeppie Over a year ago

Elegance inevitably involves brevity and inevitably avoids complexity.

Nick Turner Over a year ago

Your way also uses more processing power, involves more reading. Other way is cleaner and less CPU.

Marc Wittke · Accepted Answer · 2012-06-06 08:09:39Z

5

Just for the record, I did not want to go with Linq2XML but XPath and found this way:

var xPathDoc = new XPathDocument(new StringReader("your XML string goes here"));

answered Jun 6, 2012 at 8:09

Marc Wittke

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