XPath: //B[2] doesn't select anything

[Timo Nentwig]

Hi!

"//B" and "//B[1]" do select all Bs. But //B[2] does not select anything
(should select the second B).

Why?

Timo

 

[Patrick TJ McPhee]

% "//B" and "//B[1]" do select all Bs. But //B[2] does not select anything
% (should select the second B).
%
% Why?

Have to guess here, because you couldn't be bothered to provide a sample
of your input, but I suppose it looks like this

<A>
<C>
<B/>
</C>
<C>
<B/>
</C>
<C>
<B/>
</C>
<C>
<B/>
</C>
</A>

In that case, I'd expect //B to select 4 Bs, //B[1] to also select 4 Bs,
and //B[2] to not select any Bs. [2] is short-hand for [position() = 2],
where position() is the position relative to the node's siblings. There
is no B[2] in the document above.

 

[Timo Nentwig]

<A>
<C>
<B/>
</C>

or, e.g.:

<C>
<D>
<B/>
</D>

</A>

In that case, I'd expect //B to select 4 Bs, //B[1] to also select 4 Bs,
and //B[2] to not select any Bs. [2] is short-hand for [position() = 2],
where position() is the position relative to the node's siblings. There
is no B[2] in the document above.

Hm, ok. And how do I select the second B of all Bs anyway?

Timo

 

[Dimitre Novatchev [MVP]]

In that case, I'd expect //B to select 4 Bs, //B[1] to also select 4 Bs,
and //B[2] to not select any Bs. [2] is short-hand for [position() = 2],
where position() is the position relative to the node's siblings. There
is no B[2] in the document above.

Hm, ok. And how do I select the second B of all Bs anyway?

(//B)[2]


Cheers,

Dimitre Novatchev [XML MVP],
FXSL developer, XML Insider,

http://fxsl.sourceforge.net/ -- the home of FXSL
Resume: http://fxsl.sf.net/DNovatchev/Resume/Res.html

 

[Richard Tobin]

Hm, ok. And how do I select the second B of all Bs anyway?

[/QUOTE]

(//B)[2]

Or /descendant::B[2].

-- Richard