| section/*/note |
| Matches <note> elements that have <section> grandparents. |
| stockquote[@symbol] |
| Matches <stockquote> elements that have a “symbol” attribute |
| stockquote[@symbol=”XXXX”] |
| Matches <stockquote> elements that have a “symbol” attribute with the value “XXXX“ |
| emphasis|strong |
| Matches <emphasis> or <strong> elements |
| Pattern Syntax |
| The XPath pattern syntax is described formally in the XPath specification. Here we’re going to look at the syntax in abstract, but less formal terms: |
| • An XPath pattern is a ‘location path’, a location path is absolute if it begins with a slash (“/”) and relative otherwise • A relative location path consists of a series of steps, separated by slashes • A step is an axis specifier, a node test, and a predicate |
| The formal syntax is made more complicated by the fact that it must describe both the abbreviated and unabbreviated syntaxes |