Use:

   //message[not(descendant::message)]


In learning XPath the fun way, the XPath Visualizer is your friend.

Cheers,
Dimitre Novatchev


<malauddin@g...> wrote in message 
news:1133416723.668250.129710@g......
> Hi everyone,
>
> In the xml below, can I use xpath to find the <message> node which do
> not have any child <message> node. The conversion I am working, I have
> to start from the child node and move up to the top node. There could
> be multiple child nodes. Many thanks in advance.
>
> The xpath should give me the following node:
> <message subject="attach 1.1">
> <message subject="attach 1.2">
> <message subject="attach 2.1">
> <message subject="attach 2.2">
>
> ----------------------
> <message subject="Top level message">
> <attachments>
>  <attachment>
>    <message subject="attach 1.0">
>      <attachments>
>         <attachment>
>           <message subject="attach 1.1">
>           .......
>           </message>
>         </attachment>
>         <attachment>
>           <message subject="attach 1.2">
>           ....
>           </message>
>         </attachment>
>      </attachments>
>    </message>
>   </attachment>
>  <attachment>
>    <message subject="attach 2.0">
>      <attachments>
>         <attachment>
>           <message subject="attach 2.1">
>           </message>
>         </attachment>
>         <attachment>
>           <message subject="attach 2.2">
>           </message>
>         </attachment>
>      </attachments>
>    </message>
>   </attachment>
>
> </attachments>
> </message>
> ----------------------------
>