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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-18T09:40:48+00:00

I want to retrieve the data of the next element tag in a document,

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I want to retrieve the data of the next element tag in a document, for example:

I would like to retrieve <blockquote> Content 1 </blockquote> for every different span only.

<html>
<body>


<span id=12341></span>
<blockquote>Content 1</blockquote>
<blockquote>Content 2</blockquote>

<!-- misc html in between including other spans w/ no relative blockquotes-->

<span id=12342></span>
<blockquote>Content 1</blockquote>

<!-- misc html in between including other spans w/ no relative blockquotes-->

<span id=12343></span>
<blockquote>Content 1</blockquote>
<blockquote>Content 2</blockquote>
<blockquote>Content 3</blockquote>
<blockquote>Content 4</blockquote>

<!-- misc html in between including other spans w/ no relative blockquotes-->    

<span id=12344></span>
<blockquote>Content 1</blockquote>
<blockquote>Content 2</blockquote>
<blockquote>Content 3</blockquote>


</body>
</html>

Now two things I’m wondering:

1.)How can I write an expression that matches and only outputs a blockquote that’s followed right after a closed element (<span></span>)?

2.)If I wanted, how could I get Content 2, Content 3, etc if I ever have a need to output them in the future while still applying to the rules of the previous question?

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    Now two things I’m wondering:

    1.)How can I write an expression that matches and only outputs a blockquote
    that’s followed right after a closed
    element (<span></span>)?

    Assuming that the provided text is converted to a well-formed XML document (you need to enclose the values of the id attributes in quotes)

    Use:

    /*/*/span/following-sibling::*[1][self::blockquote]

    This means in English: Select all blockquote elements each of which is the first, immediate following sibling of a span element that is a grand-child of the top element of the document.

    2.)If I wanted, how could I get Content 2, Content 3, etc if I ever
    have a need to output them in the
    future while still applying to the
    rules of the previous question?

    Yes.

    You can get all sets of contigious blockquote elements following a span:

     /*/*/span/following-sibling::blockquote
          [preceding-sibling::*[not(self::blockquote)][1][self::span]]

    You can get the contigious set of blockquote elements following the (N+1)-st span by:

    /*/*/span/following-sibling::blockquote
           [preceding-sibling::*
             [not(self::blockquote)][1]
                [self::span and count(preceding-sibling::span)=$vN]
           ]

    where $vN should be substituted by the number N.

    Thus, the set of contigious set of blockquote elements following the first span is selected by:

    /*/*/span/following-sibling::blockquote
           [preceding-sibling::*
             [not(self::blockquote)][1]
                [self::span and count(preceding-sibling::span)=0]
           ]

    the set of contigious set of blockquote elements following the second span is selected by:

    /*/*/span/following-sibling::blockquote
           [preceding-sibling::*
             [not(self::blockquote)][1]
                [self::span and count(preceding-sibling::span)=1]
           ]

    etc. …

    See in the XPath Visualizer the nodes selected by the following expression :

    /*/*/span/following-sibling::blockquote
           [preceding-sibling::*
             [not(self::blockquote)][1]
                [self::span and count(preceding-sibling::span)=3]
           ]

    alt text

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