Chapter 9. XPath
Just what is XPath? Briefly stated, XPath is to XML what an SQL SELECT is to a relational database. This might at first sound like an oversimplification, but it is essentially true. XPath can be used to locate and navigate the various parts of an XML document. Unfortunately, as with every other language under the sun, a number of unique terms should be defined before you can start understanding it. These concepts and terms might at first seem overwhelming, but they are essential to both querying XML and keeping us employed.
Although you can choose to fluff over these terms, I actually don’t recommend it, if only for the purpose of job security. Several years ago, I used my understanding of terms to extend a contract when the client, ...
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