Starting at the Root Node

To specify that the XPath processor should start at the root node when it evaluates nodes for a query, insert a forward slash ( /) at the beginning of the query.

In an XML document, there is no text that corresponds to the root node. Externally, a root node is really a concept. Internally, there are data structures that represent this concept, but there is no text that you can point to and call a root node.

The following query instructs the XPath processor to start at the root node, as indicated by the forward slash at the beginning of the query.

/bookstore
               

            

This query searches the children of the root node for a bookstore element. Because the name of the document element is bookstore, the query returns it. If the name of the document element is not bookstore, this query returns an empty set.

The following query returns the entire document, starting with the root node. As you can see, the entire query is just a forward slash:

/
               

            

This query returns everything - comments, declarations, processing instructions, the document element, and any elements, attributes, comments, and processing instructions that the document element contains.

 
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