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This draft contains only sections that have differences from the version that it modified.

XML Path Language (XPath) 4.0 WG Review Draft

W3C Editor's Draft 2 February12 March 2026

This version:: https://qt4cg.org/specifications/xpath-40/
Most recent version of XPath:: https://qt4cg.org/specifications/xpath-40/
Most recent Recommendation of XPath:: https://www.w3.org/TR/2017/REC-xpath-31-20170321/
Editor:: Michael Kay, Saxonica <mike@saxonica.com>

Please check the errata for any errors or issues reported since publication.

Abstract

XPath 4.0 is an expression language that allows the processing of values conforming to the data model defined in [XQuery and XPath Data Model (XDM) 4.0]. The name of the language derives from its most distinctive feature, the path expression, which provides a means of hierarchic addressing of the nodes in an XML tree. As well as modeling the tree structure of XML, the data model also includes atomic items, function items, maps, arrays, and sequences. This version of XPath supports JSON as well as XML, and adds many new functions in [XQuery and XPath Functions and Operators 4.0].

XPath 4.0 is a superset of XPath 3.1. A detailed list of changes made since XPath 3.1 can be found in I Change Log.

Status of this Document

This is a draft prepared by the QT4CG (officially registered in W3C as the XSLT Extensions Community Group). Comments are invited.

Dedication

The publications of this community group are dedicated to our co-chair, Michael Sperberg-McQueen (1954–2024).

Michael was central to the development of XML and many related technologies. He brought a polymathic breadth of knowledge and experience to everything he did. This, combined with his indefatigable curiosity and appetite for learning, made him an invaluable contributor to our project, along with many others. We have lost a brilliant thinker, a patient teacher, and a loyal friend.