Test XPath Queries on XML

Write and debug XPath expressions directly in your browser. Paste your XML, write a query, and instantly see the matched nodes and results.

XML Input

XPath Query

Common XPath:

Result

Enter XML and XPath query, then click Evaluate

About XPath

XPath (XML Path Language) is a query language for selecting nodes from an XML document. Use // for descendant selection,[@attribute] for attribute filtering, and functions like count(),contains(),position() for advanced queries.

How It Works

This XPath tester lets you evaluate XPath expressions against your XML document directly in the browser. It uses the browser's native DOMParser and XPathEvaluator APIs to process queries without sending your data to any server.

The evaluation process:

Parse XML: Your XML input is parsed into a DOM document structure.
Compile XPath: The XPath expression is compiled into an executable query.
Evaluate: The query runs against the DOM, returning matching nodes or values.
Display results: Matched nodes, their count, and values are shown with highlighting.

The tool supports XPath 1.0 functions like count(), text(), contains(), and positional predicates. Results update instantly as you type, making it easy to debug complex expressions.

When You'd Actually Use This

Debugging XPath in XSLT stylesheets

You're writing an XSLT transformation and the select attribute isn't matching. Test the XPath here first before debugging the full stylesheet.

Extracting data from XML feeds

Working with an RSS feed or SOAP response? Build and test the XPath that pulls out exactly the nodes you need.

Learning XPath syntax

Students studying XML technologies can experiment with predicates, axes, and functions to see immediate results.

Validating XML against business rules

Use XPath with count() and boolean functions to check constraints like 'every order must have at least one item'.

Testing XPath in code before deployment

Developers using XPath in Java, .NET, or Python can verify their expressions work correctly before writing unit tests.

Scraping structured XML data

When automating data extraction from XML sources, prototype your XPath queries here to ensure they're robust.

What to Know Before Using

Browser XPath support varies

Most browsers support XPath 1.0. XPath 2.0+ features like regex or advanced functions may not work in all environments.

Namespaces must be declared

If your XML uses namespaces, you need to declare them in the XPath evaluator. Unprefixed elements in namespaced XML won't match without proper setup.

Case sensitivity matters

Element and attribute names are case-sensitive. <Product> and <product> are different elements in XPath.

Position is 1-based, not 0-based

XPath uses 1-based indexing. The first node is position 1, not 0. This trips up JavaScript developers frequently.

Text() vs string values

text() returns text nodes. Using the string value of an element includes all descendant text. Know which one you need.

Common Questions

What's the difference between / and // in XPath?

/ selects from the root or current context. // selects from anywhere in the document. /book/title gets direct children; //title gets all title elements anywhere.

How do I select attributes in XPath?

Use the @ prefix. @id selects the id attribute. //book[@category='fiction'] finds books with category='fiction'.

Can I use logical operators in XPath?

Yes. Use and, or, and not(). Example: //book[price > 10 and price < 50] finds books priced between 10 and 50.

What does the count() function return?

count() returns the number of nodes in a node-set. count(//book) gives the total number of book elements in the document.

How do I handle namespaces in XPath?

You need to register namespace prefixes with the evaluator. In this tool, declare namespaces and use prefixes like ns:element in your XPath.

What's the difference between . and .. in XPath?

. refers to the current node (self). .. refers to the parent node. Use .. to navigate up the tree from your context.

Can XPath modify XML documents?

No. XPath is a query language for selecting nodes, not modifying them. Use XSLT or DOM manipulation for changes.

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