2.4.4 Attribute Expressions

Attribute expressions specify the value of attribute nodes of element nodes in an XML type input event specified using path expressions.

The format used by attribute expressions is shown below.

Attribute name: Specify the names of attribute nodes of element nodes in the path expression. The at sign (@) must be specified before the attribute name. Using the asterisk (*) selects all attribute nodes of element nodes specified in the path expression.

Point

If the '//' path operator is specified at the end of a path expression, the '/' after the path expression is omitted.

Note

Attribute expressions with an asterisk (*) cannot be used as the argument for a function.
You can specify an asterisk (*) in an attribute expression only when a pattern is specified in a search expression.
Element names starting with the at sign (@) cannot be specified as the path element in an attribute expression.

Example

A sample attribute expression is shown below.

<company>
    <name>fujitsu</name>
    <employee position="chief">
        <name>smith</name>
        <id>2000</id>
    </employee>
</company>

/company/employee/@position

This expression shows the value of the attribute node "position" of the "employee" element node. The value is "chief" indicated by (1) in the above figure.