Generating XPath expressions

The XPath Helper enables you to generate XPath expressions. XPath expressions are used to select nodes or node sets in an XML document.

1. In the document tree in the left pane of the XPath Helper dialog, double-click a node to display the expression on the XPath Expression tab.

2. Select one of the following XPath generation options from the corresponding button at the top of the XPath Expression tab (initially Prefix is shown as the button name, indicating that this option is currently selected):

Option	Description
Prefix	Includes prefixes in the generated XPath expression. The XPath Helper resolves these prefixes to their corresponding namespaces, depending upon the namespace entries listed on the Namespaces tab.
Namespace	Includes the required namespaces in the generated XPath expression. This generated XPath expression is independent of the list of namespaces on the Namespaces tab.
Local Name	Generates an XPath expression that is independent of the prefixes and namespaces used in the input document.

Icon	Option	Description
	Recent XPath Expressions	Displays 10 recent XPath expressions. You can select a different expression for evaluation.
	Use Index	Inserts an index in the XPath expression to identify the position of the element.
	Invoke Text Function	Generates an XPath expression that invokes the text() function in the last location step.
	Select Node Depth	Limits the number of location steps in an XPath expression and determines whether the expression is relative or absolute.

With each selection, the appropriate XPath expression is shown in the text area of the XPath Expression tab, ready to be evaluated.