How to make Perl XML::XPath allow queries without namespace prefixes? -

i'm trying use xml::xpath extract content xml documents. documents specified namespaces, want use xpath expressions without namespaces. far can tell, had working fine in 2 different scripts.

it seems sometime today, behavior of xml::xpath has changed respect this. don't see have changed has made behavior change.

i can manual tests work, if specify namespaces, using call "set_namespace()" in script (hardcoding prefix expect use) , specifying prefix in xpath expression.

again, i'm pretty sure had working yesterday, without calling "set_namespace()" in script, or specifying prefixes in xpath expressions.

if don't add "set_namespace()" call , specify prefixes in expression, empty nodesets queries.

i tried setting "$xml::xpath::namespaces" 0 before create first xpath object, doesn't seem make difference.

the following simple script pipe xml into:

#! /bin/perl use xml::xpath; use xml::xpath::xmlparser; use getopt::long;  $| = 1;  $opt_file; getoptions("f|file=s" => \$opt_file);  $xml::xpath::namespaces = 0;  $xpath; if ($opt_file ne '') {     $xpath = xml::xpath->new(filename => $opt_file); } else {     $xpath = xml::xpath->new(ioref => \*stdin); }  while (my $expr = shift @argv) {     $nodeset = $xpath->find($expr);     if ($nodeset) {         if ($opt_file ne '') {             print $opt_file . ":\n";         }         $node;         $node ($nodeset->get_nodelist) {             print $node->string_value() . "\n";         }     } } 

here's sample command line:

% echo "<ns3:abc xmlns:ns3=\"xxx\"><ns3:def>ghi</ns3:def></ns3:abc>" | xpathtext "//def" 

i hope "ghi" this, i'm getting nothing.

wow, module buggy.

let's forget question minute , use $xml::xpath::namespaces=1; (the default) now.

1. $ perl -e'say q{<r><e>e</e></r>}' |    xpathtext //e e 

   correct. there e element in null namespace.

2. $ perl -e'say q{<r xmlns:p="http://n"><p:e>e</p:e></r>}' |    xpathtext //e [nothing] 

   correct. there no e elements in null namespace.

3. $ perl -e'say q{<r xmlns="http://n"><e>e</e></r>}' |    xpathtext //e e 

   incorrect. there no e elements in null namespace, 1 printed.

4. $ perl -e'say q{<r><e xmlns="http://n">e</e></r>}' |    xpathtext //e e 

   incorrect. there no e elements in null namespace, 1 printed.

5. $ perl -e'say q{<r xmlns:p="http://n"><p:e>e</p:e></r>}' |    xpathtext //p:e e 

   incorrect. should error there's no way of knowing whether p in xpath refers http://n namespace or not.

6. $ perl -e'say q{<r xmlns="http://n"><e>e</e></r>}' |    xpathtext //p:e [nothing] 

   incorrect. should error there's no way of knowing whether p in xpath refers http://n namespace or not.

given level of bugginess, it's no surprise you're having problems.

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now let's find out $xml::xpath::namespace=0; does.

after rerunning above programs $xml::xpath::namespaces=0;, find answer "absolutely nothing".

i've confirmed attaching magic variable. variable never used (in latest version, xml-xpath-1.13)!

so module half want, , half should no apparent means of customising it.