• Chapter 1: Getting Started with Stylus Studio
• Chapter 2: Editing and Querying XML
• Chapter 3: Converting Non-XML Files to XML
• Chapter 4: Working with XSLT
• Chapter 5: Creating XSLT Using the XSLT Mapper
• Chapter 6: Debugging Stylesheets
• Chapter 7: Defining XML Schemas
• Chapter 8: Defining Document Type Definitions
• Chapter 9: Writing XPath Expressions
  • About the XPath Processor
  • Sample Data for Examples and Testing
  • Getting Started with Queries
  • Specifying the Nodes to Evaluate
  • Handling Strings and Text
  • Specifying Boolean Expressions and Functions
  • Specifying Number Operations and Functions
  • Comparing Values
  • Finding a Particular Node
  • Obtaining a Union
  • Obtaining Information About a Node or a Node Set
  • Using XPath Expressions in Stylesheets
  • Accessing Other Documents During Query Execution
  • XPath Quick Reference
• Chapter 10: Working with XQuery in Stylus Studio
• Chapter 11: Composing Web Service Calls
• Chapter 12: Accessing Relational Data as XML
• Chapter 13: Extending Stylus Studio
• Chapter 14: Stylus Studio Reference

Home > Online Product Documentation > Table of Contents > Format of the document() Function

Format of the document() Function

To query multiple documents with a single query, call the document() function in a query. During execution of a query on a particular document, this function allows you to access another XML document.

The format for the document() function is

node-set document(object, node-set?)
               

            

The XPath processor examines the first argument. If it is a single value (that is, it is not a node set) the XPath processor converts it to a string, if it is not already a string. Separate directory names and the file name with a forward slash (/). See the following format:

This string must be an absolute path. The XPath processor retrieves the specified document. The new context node is the root node of this document. Suppose you invoke the document() function and the requested document does not exist. If the invocation is in a stylesheet, the XPath processor returns an empty node set. If the invocation is anywhere else, the XPath processor returns an error message.