What is wrong with my attempt to read an xml file using xPath expressions (C#)

I found that this technique works if I strip out everything and the element looks like this:
<Orders>

I then can read it like this:  xDoc.XPathSelectElements("/Order");

However, in reality I can't strip that out.

How do I get around this?

Thanks,

Try this:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Xml;
using System.Xml.Linq;
using System.Xml.XPath;

static class XmlExample
{
	public static void Main()
	{
		XmlReader reader = XmlReader.Create("Orders.xml");
		XElement data = XElement.Load(reader);
		XmlNameTable table = reader.NameTable;
		XmlNamespaceManager manager = new XmlNamespaceManager(table);
		manager.AddNamespace("ns", "http://www.junk.com/xml/mp/order/R1.1");
		foreach (XElement order in data.XPathSelectElements("./ns:Order", manager))
		{
			foreach (var pair in (from id in order.Elements() where id.Name.LocalName.Contains("OrderID") select new { id.Name.LocalName, id.Value }))
				Console.WriteLine(string.Format("Name - {0}; Value - {1}", pair.LocalName, pair.Value));
		}
		Console.ReadLine();
	}
}

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Orders.xml:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Orders xmlns="http://www.junk.com/xml/mp/order/R1.1" xmlns:xsi="http://junk/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.junk.com/xml/mp/order/R1.1 http://support.junk.com/mp/R1.1/order/Orders.xsd">
	<Order>
		<OrderID>100000009</OrderID>
	</Order>
	<Order>
		<OrderID>1000000111</OrderID>
	</Order>
</Orders>

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Produces the following output:
-saige-

I can certainly try this, but I'm wondering why the xPath technique does not work if there is a namespace in the element.

If you compare the Node Name between the Namespace version and non-Namespace version, you will find that when you declare a namespace that the Node Name is equal to the {Namespace} + XML Element Name; e.g. -Versus the non-Namespace version, where the Node Name is equal to the XML Element Name; e.g. -
-saige-

Thanks.  I understand that now, I think.

I combined that info with some other stuff I found in my research, and now this code runs without error but doesn't identify the nodes:

                    XDocument xDoc = XDocument.Load(XMLFileName);

                    XmlNamespaceManager oManager = new XmlNamespaceManager(new NameTable());
                    oManager.AddNamespace("ns", "{http://www.junk.com/xml/mp/order/R1.1}");
                    IEnumerable<XElement> nodeList = xDoc.XPathSelectElements("/ns:Orders/ns:Order",oManager);

Does this have anything to do with it having multiple namespaces in the Orders element?  Or is there something else I'm doing wrong?

Remove the brackets from around your namespace definition.

-saige-

Making your modifications to the above code -

using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Xml;
using System.Xml.Linq;
using System.Xml.XPath;

static class XmlExample
{
	public static void Main()
	{
		XDocument document = XDocument.Load("Orders.xml");
		XmlNamespaceManager manager = new XmlNamespaceManager(new NameTable());
		manager.AddNamespace("ns", "http://www.junk.com/xml/mp/order/R1.1");

		foreach (XElement order in document.XPathSelectElements("/ns:Orders/ns:Order", manager))
		{
			foreach (var pair in (from id in order.Elements() where id.Name.LocalName.Contains("OrderID") select new { id.Name.LocalName, id.Value }))
				Console.WriteLine(string.Format("Name - {0}; Value - {1}", pair.LocalName, pair.Value));
		} 
		Console.ReadLine();
	}
}

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Produces the following output -
-saige-

Thank you.  You've been very helpful!