# Xpath Problem With Plex:s Xml-parser

**URL:** <https://forums.plex.tv/t/xpath-problem-with-plex-s-xml-parser/2899>\
**Category:** Dev/API Corner\
**Tags:** plugin-dev\
**Created:** [November 8, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/xpath-problem-with-plex-s-xml-parser/2899 "2009-11-08T13:53:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![deli](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/deli/32/831_2.png) [@deli](https://forums.plex.tv/u/deli)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/xpath-problem-with-plex-s-xml-parser/2899/1 "2009-11-08T13:53:48Z")

</div>

I’m trying to parse a XML with XPath and get some strange results with Plex. It works in XPath Checker plugin for Firefox and on this site, [http://www.mizar.dk/XPath/Default.aspx](http://www.mizar.dk/XPath/Default.aspx) but not with Plex.

```auto

<br />
#When using isHTML = True no category has subcategories<br />
subCategories = XML.ElementFromURL('http://www.expressen.tv/2.2729?output=xmlMenuOutput', isHTML=False, cacheTime=0) <br />
<br />
#Does not work, but should return subcategories for category Sport, id = 2.2731<br />
subCat1 = subCategories.xpath('/root/category[id=2.2731]/subcategories/subcategory') <br />
<br />
#This one works, and returns subcategories for category Nyheter (News), id = 2.2729<br />
subCat2 = subCategories.xpath('/root/category[id=2.2729]/subcategories/subcategory') <br />

```

  
  
If i look at the xml both xpath-expressions should get a result but for some reason the subCat1 is empty.   
  
So I'm wondering if there are anything wrong with the xml-parser that Plex uses and if there are any workaround for it?  
  
Xml for category Nyheter (News) that works  

```auto

<br />
                <category date='2009-11-08'><br />
                    <id>2.2729</id><br />
                    <title><![CDATA[Nyheter]]></title><br />
<br />
                    <br />
                            <commercial>1</commercial><br />
                        <br />
                    <style><![CDATA[0x554433]]></style><br />
                    <weburl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter]]></weburl><br />
                    <xmlurl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter?output=xmlFirstScreenOutput]]></xmlurl><br />
                  <subcategories><br />
                    <br />
                        <subcategory><br />
                            <id>2.2739</id><br />
<br />
                            <title><![CDATA[Inrikes]]></title><br />
                            <br />
                            <commercial>1</commercial><br />
                                <br />
                            <style><![CDATA[0x554433]]></style><br />
                            <weburl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter/inrikes]]></weburl><br />
                            <xmlurl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter/inrikes?output=xmlFirstScreenOutput]]></xmlurl><br />
                        </subcategory><br />
                       <br />
                        <subcategory><br />
<br />
                            <id>2.2740</id><br />
                            <title><![CDATA[Utrikes]]></title><br />
                            <br />
                            <commercial>1</commercial><br />
                                <br />
                            <style><![CDATA[0x554433]]></style><br />
                            <weburl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter/utrikes]]></weburl><br />
                            <xmlurl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter/utrikes?output=xmlFirstScreenOutput]]></xmlurl><br />
                        </subcategory><br />
<br />
                       <br />
                        <subcategory><br />
                            <id>2.3226</id><br />
                            <title><![CDATA[Politik]]></title><br />
                            <br />
                            <commercial>1</commercial><br />
                                <br />
                            <style><![CDATA[0x554433]]></style><br />
                            <weburl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter/politik]]></weburl><br />
                            <xmlurl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter/politik?output=xmlFirstScreenOutput]]></xmlurl><br />
<br />
                        </subcategory><br />
                       <br />
                        <subcategory><br />
                            <id>2.2987</id><br />
                            <title><![CDATA[Förlovningen]]></title><br />
                            <br />
                            <commercial>1</commercial><br />
                                <br />
                            <style><![CDATA[0x554433]]></style><br />
                            <weburl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter/forlovningen]]></weburl><br />
<br />
                            <xmlurl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter/forlovningen?output=xmlFirstScreenOutput]]></xmlurl><br />
                        </subcategory><br />
                       <br />
                        <subcategory><br />
                            <id>2.3063</id><br />
                            <title><![CDATA[Unicef]]></title><br />
                            <br />
                            <commercial>1</commercial><br />
                                <br />
                            <style><![CDATA[0x554433]]></style><br />
<br />
                            <weburl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter/unicef]]></weburl><br />
                            <xmlurl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter/unicef?output=xmlFirstScreenOutput]]></xmlurl><br />
                        </subcategory><br />
                       <br />
                        <subcategory><br />
                            <id>2.2992</id><br />
                            <title><![CDATA[Opinions-tv]]></title><br />
                            <br />
                            <commercial>1</commercial><br />
<br />
                                <br />
                            <style><![CDATA[0x554433]]></style><br />
                            <weburl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter/opinions-tv]]></weburl><br />
                            <xmlurl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter/opinions-tv?output=xmlFirstScreenOutput]]></xmlurl><br />
                        </subcategory><br />
                       <br />
                        <subcategory><br />
                            <id>2.3187</id><br />
                            <title><![CDATA[Cecilia Hagen]]></title><br />
<br />
                            <br />
                            <commercial>1</commercial><br />
                                <br />
                            <style><![CDATA[0x554433]]></style><br />
                            <weburl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter/ceciliahagen]]></weburl><br />
                            <xmlurl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/nyheter/ceciliahagen?output=xmlFirstScreenOutput]]></xmlurl><br />
                        </subcategory><br />
                       <br />
                      </subcategories><br />
                 </category><br />
<br />

```

  
  
Xml for category sport that fails  

```auto

<br />
                <category date='2009-11-08'><br />
<br />
                    <id>2.2731</id><br />
                    <title><![CDATA[Sport]]></title><br />
                    <br />
                            <commercial>1</commercial><br />
                        <br />
                    <style><![CDATA[0x554433]]></style><br />
                    <weburl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/sport]]></weburl><br />
                    <xmlurl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/sport?output=xmlFirstScreenOutput]]></xmlurl><br />
                  <subcategories><br />
<br />
                    <br />
                        <subcategory><br />
                            <id>2.3207</id><br />
                            <title><![CDATA[La Liga]]></title><br />
                            <br />
                            <commercial>1</commercial><br />
                                <br />
                            <style><![CDATA[0x554433]]></style><br />
                            <weburl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/sport/laliga]]></weburl><br />
                            <xmlurl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/sport/laliga?output=xmlFirstScreenOutput]]></xmlurl><br />
<br />
                        </subcategory><br />
                       <br />
                        <subcategory><br />
                            <id>2.3050</id><br />
                            <title><![CDATA[Allsvenskan]]></title><br />
                            <br />
                            <commercial>1</commercial><br />
                                <br />
                            <style><![CDATA[0x554433]]></style><br />
                            <weburl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/sport/allsvenskan]]></weburl><br />
<br />
                            <xmlurl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/sport/allsvenskan?output=xmlFirstScreenOutput]]></xmlurl><br />
                        </subcategory><br />
                       <br />
                        <subcategory><br />
                            <id>2.3230</id><br />
                            <title><![CDATA[Elitserien]]></title><br />
                            <br />
                            <commercial>1</commercial><br />
                                <br />
                            <style><![CDATA[0x554433]]></style><br />
<br />
                            <weburl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/sport/elitserien]]></weburl><br />
                            <xmlurl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/sport/elitserien?output=xmlFirstScreenOutput]]></xmlurl><br />
                        </subcategory><br />
                       <br />
                        <subcategory><br />
                            <id>2.3013</id><br />
                            <title><![CDATA[Sanktan]]></title><br />
                            <br />
                            <commercial>1</commercial><br />
<br />
                                <br />
                            <style><![CDATA[0x554433]]></style><br />
                            <weburl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/sport/sanktan]]></weburl><br />
                            <xmlurl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/sport/sanktan?output=xmlFirstScreenOutput]]></xmlurl><br />
                        </subcategory><br />
                       <br />
                        <subcategory><br />
                            <id>2.3103</id><br />
                            <title><![CDATA[Trav]]></title><br />
<br />
                            <br />
                            <commercial>1</commercial><br />
                                <br />
                            <style><![CDATA[0x554433]]></style><br />
                            <weburl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/sport/trav]]></weburl><br />
                            <xmlurl><![CDATA[expressen.tv/sport/trav?output=xmlFirstScreenOutput]]></xmlurl><br />
                        </subcategory><br />
                       <br />
                      </subcategories><br />
                 </category><br />
<br />

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![deli](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/deli/32/831_2.png) [@deli](https://forums.plex.tv/u/deli)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/xpath-problem-with-plex-s-xml-parser/2899/2 "2009-11-08T19:00:28Z")

</div>

I found a solution for it.

```auto

subcategories = subCategories.xpath('/root/category[id=\'' + id + '\']/subcategories/subcategory')

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![elan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/elan/32/5_2.png) [@elan](https://forums.plex.tv/u/elan)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/xpath-problem-with-plex-s-xml-parser/2899/3 "2009-11-08T22:31:28Z")

</div>

Glad you were able to figure it out, thanks for posting the solution you found!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2019, 8:32pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/xpath-problem-with-plex-s-xml-parser/2899/4 "2019-12-20T20:32:43Z")

</div>

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