PHP 7.0.6 Released

    SimpleXMLElement::xpath

    (PHP 5 >= 5.2.0, PHP 7)

    SimpleXMLElement::xpath — Runs XPath query on XML data

    Description

    public array SimpleXMLElement::xpath ( string $path )

    The xpath method searches the SimpleXML node for children matching the XPath path.

    Parameters

    path

    An XPath path

    Return Values

    Returns an array of SimpleXMLElement objects or FALSE in case of an error.

    Examples

    Example #1 Xpath

    <?php
    $string     = <<<XML
    <a>
     <b>
      <c>text</c>
      <c>stuff</c>
     </b>
     <d>
      <c>code</c>
     </d>
    </a>
    XML;

    $xml = new SimpleXMLElement($string);

    /* Search for <a><b><c> */
    $result = $xml->xpath('/a/b/c');

    while(list( ,     $node) = each($result)) {
        echo     '/a/b/c: ',$node,"\n";
    }

    /* Relative paths also work... */
    $result = $xml->xpath('b/c');

    while(list( ,     $node) = each($result)) {
        echo     'b/c: ',$node,"\n";
    }
    ?>

    The above example will output:

    /a/b/c: text
/a/b/c: stuff
b/c: text
b/c: stuff

    Notice that the two results are equal.

    See Also

    User Contributed Notes

    leonjanzen at gmail dot com
    1 year ago
    To run an xpath query on an XML document that has a namespace, the namespace must be registered with SimpleXMLElement::registerXPathNamespace() before running the query. If the XML document namespace does not include a prefix, you must make up an arbitrary one, and then use it in your query.

    <?php
    $strXml    = <<<XML
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
    <mydoc xmlns="http://www.url.com/myns">
        <message>Test message</message>
    </mydoc>
    XML;

    $xmlDoc=new \SimpleXMLElement($strXml);

    foreach(    $xmlDoc->getDocNamespaces() as $strPrefix => $strNamespace) {
        if(    strlen($strPrefix)==0) {
                $strPrefix="a"; //Assign an arbitrary namespace prefix.
            }
            $xmlDoc->registerXPathNamespace($strPrefix,$strNamespace);
    }

    print(    $xmlDoc->xpath("//a:message")[0]); //Use the arbitrary namespace prefix in the query.
    ?>

    This will output:

    Test message
    grummfy at gmail dot com
    6 years ago
    On a xml that have namespace you need to do this before your xpath request (or empty array will be return) :

    <?php
    $string     = str_replace('xmlns=', 'ns=', $string); //$string is a string that contains xml...
    ?>
    anemik
    7 years ago
    If you want to find easly all records satisfying some condition in XML data like

    ....
       <book id="bk101">
          <author>Gambardella, Matthew</author>
          <title>XML Developer's Guide</title>
          <genre>Computer</genre>
          <price>44.95</price>
       </book>
       <book id="bk102">
          <author>Ralls, Kim</author>
          <title>Midnight Rain</title>
          <genre>Fantasy</genre>
          <price>5.95</price>
       </book>
    ...

    try example below

    <?php

    $xmlStr     = file_get_contents('data/books.xml');
    $xml = new SimpleXMLElement($xmlStr);
    // seach records by tag value:
    // find all book records with price higher than 40$
    $res = $xml->xpath("book/price[.>'40']/parent::*");
    print_r($res);

    ?>

    You will see response like:
    Array (
    [0] => SimpleXMLElement Object
            (
                [@attributes] => Array
                    (
                        [id] => bk101
                    )

                [author] => Gambardella, Matthew
                [title] => XML Developer's Guide
                [genre] => Computer
                [price] => 44.95
                [publish_date] => 2000-10-01
                [description] => An in-depth look at creating applications
          with XML.
            )
    ...
    yetihehe at yetihehe dot com
    5 years ago
    Xpath actually knows which element is root regardless of element on which you execute it. Example:

    <?php

    $string     = <<<XML
    <a>
    <b>
      <c>text</c>
      <c>stuff</c>
    </b>
    <b>
      <c>code</c>
    </b>
    </a>
    XML;

    header('content-type: text/plain');

    $xml = new SimpleXMLElement($string);

    //relative to root
    $b0=$xml->b[0]->xpath('//c');
    while(list( ,     $node) = each($b0)) {
        echo     'b[0]: //c: ',$node,"\n";
    }

    $b1=$xml->b[1]->xpath('//c');
    while(list( ,     $node) = each($b1)) {
        echo     'b[1]: //c: ',$node,"\n";
    }

    echo     "\n";

    //relative to current element
    $b0=$xml->b[0]->xpath('.//c');
    while(list( ,     $node) = each($b0)) {
        echo     'b[0]: .//c: ',$node,"\n";
    }

    $b1=$xml->b[1]->xpath('.//c');
    while(list( ,     $node) = each($b1)) {
        echo     'b[1]: .//c: ',$node,"\n";
    }

    ?>

    Will return:
    b[0]: //c: text
    b[0]: //c: stuff
    b[0]: //c: code
    b[1]: //c: text
    b[1]: //c: stuff
    b[1]: //c: code

    b[0]: .//c: text
    b[0]: .//c: stuff
    b[1]: .//c: code
    drewish at katherinehouse dot com
    10 years ago
    xpath() can also be used to select elements by their attributes. For a good XPath reference check out: http://www.w3schools.com/xpath/xpath_syntax.asp

    <?php
    $string     = <<<XML
    <sizes>
        <size label="Square" width="75" height="75" />
        <size label="Thumbnail" width="100" height="62" />
        <size label="Small" width="112" height="69" />
        <size label="Large" width="112" height="69" />
    </sizes>
    XML;

    $xml = simplexml_load_string($string);
    $result = $xml->xpath("//size[@label='Large']");

    // print the first (and only) member of the array
    echo $result[0]->asXml();
    ?>

    The script would print:
    <size label="Large" width="112" height="69"/>
    canuemail at gmail dot com
    7 years ago
    If you want to search multiple values from xml on the behalf or one value then this code can be helpfull to you.

    if there is:
    <Record>
      <country>Pakistan</country>
      <code>+92</code>
      <Value>100<Value>
    </Record>

    then try this one:
    <?php
    $sxe     =  simplexml_load_file("countries.XML");
    foreach(    $sxe->xpath('//RECORD') as $item) {

            $row = simplexml_load_string($item->asXML());
            $v = $row->xpath('//country[. ="Pakistan"]');
        if(    $v[0]){
            print     $item->country;
            print     $item->code;
            print     $item->value;
        }
       
    }
    ?>
    Anonymous
    1 year ago
    As mentioned already xpath will fail is the default namespace 'xmlns' is used like in:

    <?php

    $xmlstring     = $string = <<<XML
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
    <workbook xmlns="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/spreadsheetml/2006/main">
        <fileVersion appName="xl" />
    </workbook>
    XML;
    ?>

    xpath cannot search through the xml without explicitly specifying a namespace.
    There are 2 options :
    1. rename the 'xmlns' into something else to trick xpath into believing that no default namespace is defined.
    2. register a string as the default namespace and use that string in all your queries. Unfortunatly, an empty space will not work.
    No other option currently exist until XPath2.0 becomes the default library.
    BenjaminBeck at gmx dot de
    1 year ago
    If you want to search multiple values from xml on the behalf or one value then this code can be helpfull to you.

    if there is:
    <Record>
      <country>Pakistan</country>
      <code>+92</code>
      <Value>100<Value>
    </Record>

    then try this one:
    <?php
    $sxe     =  simplexml_load_file("countries.XML");
    foreach(    $sxe->xpath('//RECORD') as $item) {

            $v = $row->xpath('./country[. ="Pakistan"]');
        if(    $v[0]){
            print     $item->country;
            print     $item->code;
            print     $item->value;
        }
       
    }
    ?>
    Hugh
    10 years ago
    Note that this function does not ALWAYS return an array. It seems that if the specified path is not found in the document, it will return false. You need to check for the false value before using foreach, if you wish to avoid a warning (and often to handle errors or control program flow in this situation).
    stefan at efectos dot nl
    5 years ago
    Having problems selecting information through xpath when there are namespaces in the XML?

    Try this quick and dirty solution, but it works:

    <?php
    $objImageXml     = new SimpleXMLElement($objImageXml->asXML());
    ?>
    DrupalFocus at earthlink dot net
    6 years ago
    Looks like the relative path is relative to the SimpleXMLElement object that you call the Xpath() method on.  Basically chopping off the root element.

    <?php
    $string     = <<<XML
    <foo>
      <bar>
        <a>
         <b>
          <c>text</c>
          <c>stuff</c>
         </b>
         <d>
          <c>code</c>
         </d>
        </a>
      </bar>
    </foo>
    XML;

    $xml = new SimpleXMLElement($string);
    /* Search for children using 2nds level relative <bar><a><b><c> */
    $result = $xml->xpath('a/b/c');
    if (    $result)
    foreach(    $result as $node) {
            drupal_set_message(t('a/b/c: @node.', array('@node' => $node)));
    }
    else
          drupal_set_message(t('a/b/c: failed.'));
                        
    /* it relative to the SimpleXMLElement Search for 2nds level relative <bar><a><b><c> but where is foo */
    $bar = $xml->bar;
    $result = $bar->xpath('a/b/c');
    foreach(    $result as $node) {
            drupal_set_message(t('bar->a/b/c: @node.', array('@node' => $node)));
    }
    ?>

    results in :
    #
    # a/b/c: failed.
    # bar->a/b/c: text.
    # bar->a/b/c: stuff.
    behnam@zwnj
    6 years ago
    Seems like this function cannot return the result of XPath string() [1] function.  For example if you query xpath("string(a/@b)") you will get bool(false) although the node "a" may have the attribute "b" set to a non-empty string.

    [1] http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath#section-String-Functions
    arealzone-czernobyl at yahoo dot de
    6 years ago
    The simplest way to count nodes in a XML doc:

    <?php
    $xml     = new SimpleXMLElement($xmlstr);

    $xmlNode = $xml->xpath('root/yourNodeName');
    $nodeCount = count($xmlNode);

    echo     $nodeCount;
    ?>
    paul at pmtlogic dot com
    7 years ago
    xpath doesn't seem to be able to handle single quotes embedded in the query itself. For instance, I want to find geo coordinates in an xml file based on country name.

    xml snippet:

    <zones>
    <zone country="Cote d'Ivoire" fullName="Yamoussoukro" geo="6.82,-5.28" id="1050"><url prefix="1001" value="fiji.html" /><url prefix="1002" value="C" /></zone>
    </zones>

    The following code does not work:

    <?php
    $xml     = simplexml_load_file("my.xml");
    $result = $xml->xpath("//zone[@country='Cote d\'Ivoire']");

    foreach (     $result[0]->attributes() as $key => $val ) {
        print     "<div class='coords'>$key: $val</div>\n";
    }
    ?>

    I have tried many variations on the embedded single quote (i.e. escape codes) but with no result. W3C offers no explanation either.

    In addition, there doesn't seem to be any way of embedding wildcards in the attribute value (you can embed wildcards in the attribute name). Otherwise the following might be a reasonable substitute in this context:

    <?php $result = $xml->xpath("//zone[@country='Cote d*Ivoire']"); ?>
    Anti Veeranna
    6 years ago
    Whether it returns a false or empty array for a non-existing path seems to depend on libxml version.

    I tried the following code:

    <?php
    $data     = '<foo><bar></bar></foo>';
    $xml = simplexml_load_string($data);
    print     gettype($xml->xpath('/first/second'));
    ?>

    On a machine with libxml 2.6.16 and PHP 5.2.8 I got back boolean. On a different machine with libxml 2.7.3 and PHP 5.2.8/5.2.9 I got back empty array.

    You can check the libxml version from command line by executing: php --ri libxml

    or simply look at phpinfo() output
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