What are the functions of XPath in Python?

2 years ago
Noah Thompson
2 minutes

In Python, the functionality of XPath includes:

  1. Selection of Elements: XPath allows elements to be selected based on criteria such as tag name, attributes, and position. For example, / represents the root node, // selects all descendant nodes, and [@attributename=’value’] selects nodes with a specific attribute value.
  2. Extracting element content: XPath allows you to extract the text content and attribute values of elements. For example, you can use the text() function to retrieve the text content of an element, and use @attributename to retrieve the attribute value of an element.
  3. Filter Elements: XPath allows filtering elements based on conditions. For example, you can use the [predicate] syntax to select elements that meet certain criteria, where the predicate is a logical expression.
  4. Extracting multiple elements: XPath can extract multiple elements, returning a list of elements. For example, you can use /parent/child to select all child nodes under a parent node.
  5. You can select multiple conditions using XPath by connecting them with ‘and’ and ‘or’. For example, you can use [@attribute1=’value1′ and @attribute2=’value2′] to select elements that meet both conditions.
  6. Wildcards: XPath allows the use of wildcards to select elements. For example, * can be used to select any element, @* can be used to select any attribute, and so on.
  7. Get the position information of an element: XPath can retrieve the position information of an element in a document. For example, you can use the position() function to get the element’s position in its parent node.
  8. Performing numerical comparisons: XPath allows for comparing the numerical values of elements. For example, you can use [@attribute > value] to select elements with attribute values greater than a specified value.
  9. Selecting with Axes: XPath allows you to select elements using axes. For example, you can use the ancestor axis to select all ancestor nodes, the descendant axis to select all descendant nodes, and so on.
  10. There is an option to use functions for selection within XPath. For example, the contains() function can be used to select elements containing specific text, and the starts-with() function can be used to select elements starting with specific text.

These are some basic functionalities of XPath in Python that can help us select and extract elements in XML or HTML documents.

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