Specifying Attributes in Queries

To specify an attribute name in a query, precede the attribute name with an at sign (@). The XPath processor treats elements and attributes in the same way wherever possible. For example:

//@style 

The following query returns the style attribute of the context node:

@style  

The next query returns the exchange attribute on price elements in the current context:

price/@exchange  

Attributes cannot contain subelements. Consequently, you cannot apply a path operator to an attribute. If you try to, you receive a syntax error.

Attributes are inherently unordered. Consequently, you cannot apply a position number to an attribute. If you try to, you receive a syntax error.

Attributes and Wildcards

You can use an at sign (@) and asterisk (*) together to retrieve a collection of attributes. For example, the following query finds all attributes in the current context:

@*