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POHow to remove XML namespaces using Javascript?
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  1. POHow to remove XML namespaces using Javascript?
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    copied!<p>I am finding that, for my purposes, XML namespaces are simply causing much headache and are completely unnecessary. (For example, how they complicate xpath.)</p> <p>Is there a simple way to remove namespaces entirely from an XML document?</p> <p>(There is a related question, but it deals with removing namespace prefixes on tags, rather than namespace declarations from the document root: "<a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3704466/easy-way-to-drop-xml-namespaces-with-javascript">Easy way to drop XML namespaces with javascript</a>".)</p> <p><strong>Edit:</strong> Samples and more detail below:</p> <p><strong>XML:</strong></p> <pre><code>&lt;?xml version="1.0" ?&gt; &lt;main xmlns="example.com"&gt; &lt;primary&gt; &lt;enabled&gt;true&lt;/enabled&gt; &lt;/primary&gt; &lt;secondary&gt; &lt;enabled&gt;false&lt;/enabled&gt; &lt;/secondary&gt; &lt;/main&gt; </code></pre> <p><strong>JavaScript:</strong></p> <pre><code>function useHttpResponse() { if (http.readyState == 4) { if(http.status == 200) { var xml = http.responseXML; var evalue = getXMLValueByPath('/main/secondary/enabled', xml); alert(evalue); } } } function getXMLValueByPath(nodepath, xml) { var result = xml.evaluate(nodepath, xml, null, XPathResult.STRING_TYPE, null).stringValue; return result; } </code></pre> <p>The sample XML is just like the actual one I am working with, albeit much shorter. Notice that there are <em>no</em> prefixes on the tags for the namespace. I assume this is the null or default namespace.</p> <p>The JavaScript is a snippet from my ajax functions. If I remove the <code>xmlns="example.com"</code> portion from the <code>main</code> tag, I am able to successfully get the value. As long as any namespace is present, the value becomes undefined.</p> <p><strong>Edit 2:</strong></p> <p>It may be worth mentioning that none of the declared namespaces are actually used in the XML tags (like the sample above). In the actual XML file I am working with, three namespaces are declared, but no tags are prefixed with a namespace reference. Thus, perhaps the question should be re-titled, "How to remove unused XML namespaces using Javascript?" I do not see the reason to retain a namespace if it is 1) never used and 2) complicating an otherwise simple path to a node using xpath.</p>
 

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