Question

var links = document.evaluate("//BODY/CENTER[1]/P[1]/TABLE[1]/TBODY[1]/TR[1]", document, null, XPathResult.ORDERED_NODE_SNAPSHOT_TYPE,null).evaluate("//A");

basically I need to find an element via xpath. then search this element via xpath. The above doesn’t work obviously but neither does using contextNode argument.

var headings = document.evaluate("//BODY/CENTER[1]/P[1]/TABLE[1]/TBODY[1]/TR[1]", document, null, XPathResult.ANY_TYPE, null); 
var thisHeading = headings.iterateNext();  

var headings2 = document.evaluate("//A", thisHeading, null, XPathResult.ANY_TYPE, null); 

headings2.iterateNext().style.backgroundColor = "red";

I need to be able to search for children of an element via xpath.

Answer 1

You have to use XPathResult.FIRST_ORDERED_NODE_TYPE in conjunction with singleNodeValue to get the first element of the XPath expression. Then, use .//A to select any <a> element, which is a child of the matched node. If you want to match a direct child, use ./A:

var headings = document.evaluate("//BODY/CENTER[1]/P[1]/TABLE[1]/TBODY[1]/TR[1]",
                     document, null, XPathResult.FIRST_ORDERED_NODE_TYPE, null); 
var thisHeading = headings.singleNodeValue;    
var headings2 = document.evaluate(".//A", thisHeading, null, XPathResult.ANY_TYPE, null); 

headings2.iterateNext().style.backgroundColor = "red";