Getting elements with default namespace (no namespace prefix) using XPath

Question

In this SOAP XML file, how can I get the 7 on a using a XPath query?

<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope"
                            xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
                            xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
    <soap:Body>
        <HelloWorldResponse xmlns="http://tempuri.org/">
           <HelloWorldResult>7</HelloWorldResult>
        </HelloWorldResponse>
    </soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

This XPath query is not working //*[name () ='soap:Body'].

what are you trying to extract?

Dmitry Zagorulkin
– Dmitry Zagorulkin

2013-05-23 14:56:47 +00:00
Commented May 23, 2013 at 14:56 — Dmitry Zagorulkin
– Dmitry Zagorulkin, Commented May 23, 2013 at 14:56
missing < . but is not the problem. i want number 7

user2411903
– user2411903

2013-05-23 15:04:51 +00:00
Commented May 23, 2013 at 15:04 — user2411903
– user2411903, Commented May 23, 2013 at 15:04

acdcjunior · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-23 16:35:14Z

38

If you have a namespace prefix set, you could use it, like:

//soap:Body

But since the nodes you are trying to get use a default namespace, without a prefix, using plain XPath, you can only acesss them by the local-name() and namespace-uri() attributes. Examples:

//*[local-name()="HelloWorldResult"]/text()

Or:

//*[local-name()="HelloWorldResult" and namespace-uri()='http://tempuri.org/']/text()

Or:

//*[local-name()="HelloWorldResponse" and namespace-uri()='http://tempuri.org/']/*[local-name()="HelloWorldResult"]/text()

To your xml, they will all give the same result, the text 7.

answered May 23, 2013 at 16:35

acdcjunior

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5 Comments

acdcjunior Over a year ago

Note: If you were using a tool to execute the XPath, you could specify the namespace for that query and proceed as usual (without the workarounds above). Needless to say, each tool has a specific way of setting that.

Ryan Lundy Over a year ago

Does this syntax only work if the node with xmlns="whatever" is the last node? I've tried this repeated times today and can't get it to work.

acdcjunior Over a year ago

@Kyralessa, no, it should work wherever the node is. Maybe it is your tool. Try it online, see how it works here: tinyurl.com/ytzw6svu

Ryan Lundy Over a year ago

I figured out my problem. I had to use the alias all the way down: root/abc:nodeWithXmlns/abc:thisOne/abc:theOneIWant

acdcjunior Over a year ago

@Kyralessa Yes, in some tools, that'd work. Great, then!

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