ProductsXMLSpyXSLT / XPath / XQueryXPath Analyzer

XMLSpy® 2008 contains the powerful XPath Analyzer window and XPath builder that assist in the building and verifying of XPath expressions, which are used in XSLT, XQuery, and XML Schema development.

XMLSpy® 2008 supports XPath 1.0 and includes a complete implementation of the powerful new XPath 2.0 specification. XPath 2.0 support is fully compliant with the XPath 2.0 standard released by the W3C on January 23, 2007. Version 2.0 extends XPath significantly with the addition of powerful new functions, increased data processing capabilities, improved stability through strong data typing, and much more.

For more technical information about the significant improvements and enhancements made to the standard, click here.

The XPath analyzer window in XMLSpy® 2008 can be used in text view or grid view to evaluate and visualize the resulting node set of any XPath expression as you type it. You simply enter an XPath expression in the window, and XMLSpy® 2008 displays the results in real time. You can even evaluate your XPath expressions against multiple files simultaneously. Options include evaluating an XPath expression in the current file, all open files, across a project, or in a file folder.

As you're composing an expression, correct syntax is shown in black, with incorrect entries highlighted in red. Clicking any node in the result window highlights the corresponding node in the file itself. The XPath analyzer window stays open as you edit your files, and you can store the results of up to nine different XPath expressions on separate tabs. This allows you to make changes to your file, then re-evaluate the expression(s) without having to remember and retype them. The ability to preserve XPath expressions and results directly in the editing view as you’re working is an invaluable timesaver unique to XMLSpy.

 View a Flash demo of XMLSpy XPath tools now

The XMLSpy XPath analyzer is an essential tool for XSLT, XQuery, and XML Schema development, because it allows you to check your XPath expressions quickly and make changes in an intuitive way. This can save hours of debugging time otherwise spent trying to understand and track down XPath problems, which are a common source of errors in XML applications.

The XPath analyzer allows you to work with XPath 1.0 or 2.0 expressions, and you can switch between the two as required. Support for XPath 2.0 can also help you learn XQuery 1.0, since it is an extension of XPath 2.0.

The XMLSpy® 2008 XPath builder helps you define XPath 1.0 and 2.0 expressions with a simple point-and-click interface. You simply select an element or attribute in your XML data file, and the "Copy XPath" command will automatically copy the corresponding XPath expression to the clipboard.

This can then be pasted into your XSLT and XQuery documents, or it can be used to construct XML Schema identity constraints.

See for yourself how the XPath 1.0 and 2.0 tools in XMLSpy® 2008 remove the headaches associated with writing XPath expressions. Download a free 30-day trial today!

For more information about XPath, please refer to the W3C XPath Recommendations:
XPath 1.0

XPath 2.0