- 3 minutes to read

XPath with RegEx Search Field Expression Type Plugin

Unlock powerful XML data extraction and transformation in Nodinite using the XPath with RegEx Search Field Expression plugin. This page shows you how to combine XPath and RegEx to extract, match, and style values from XML messages—making your log data more actionable and searchable.

✅ Extract single or multiple unique values from XML messages
✅ Apply RegEx to style or filter extracted data
✅ Efficiently process large XML payloads with a high-performance, forward-only stream reader
✅ See clear, step-by-step examples with input, expression, and result

Use this plugin to apply RegEx expressions on values extracted from large XML messages. If you need advanced XPath features, use the Formula plugin instead.

What You Will Learn

  • How to configure the XPath with RegEx plugin in Nodinite
  • How to extract and transform XML data using XPath and RegEx
  • How to interpret results and troubleshoot common issues

How It Works

The XPath with RegEx plugin lets you:

  • Use XPath to select elements or attributes from your XML messages
  • Apply a RegEx pattern to the extracted value(s) to further filter or style the result
  • Return unique values for use in Search Fields and Log Views

This approach is ideal for large XML payloads, as the plugin uses a high-performance, forward-only stream reader based on Microsoft's XPathReader.

Example 1: Extracting a File Name from an XML Message

Goal: Extract just the file name from a full file path in an XML message.

Input 

<ns0:Orders xmlns:ns0="Common.Schemas/Nodinite/1.0">  
    <Header>  
        <FileName>\\nodinitesrv01\ftp\public\INT001\Order\OrderFile_123.xml</FileName>  
    </Header>  
    <Order>  
        <Id>101</Id>  
        <Amount>1000</Amount>  
        <City>Karlstad</City>  
    </Order>  
</ns0:Orders>

Expression 1: XPath 

Orders/Header/FileName

Expression 2: RegEx 

([^\\]+$)

Result 

OrderFile_123.xml

Example 2: Extracting Node Names from XML Content

Goal: Extract all node names from a nested XML structure.

Input 

<Envelope>  
    <Any>  
        <Nodes>  
            <node1 id="1">  
                <node2/>  
            </node1>  
        </Nodes>  
    </Any>  
</Envelope>

Expression 1: XPath 

Envelope/Any/Nodes

Expression 2: RegEx 

<([a-z0-9]{0,})

Result 

node1  
node2

How to Configure the Plugin

  1. Select the XPath with RegEx expression type plugin when adding or editing a Search Field.
  2. Enter your XPath expression to select the XML element or attribute.
  3. (Optional) Enter a RegEx pattern to further filter or style the extracted value(s).
  4. Adjust RegEx group and global options as needed.
  5. Test your configuration using the Test Expression tab.
  6. Save and apply the Search Field to your Message Types.

Troubleshooting & Tips

  • Not all XPath expressions are supported—only forward navigation is allowed due to the stream reader.
  • If your expression returns no result, check for typos or unsupported XPath features.
  • Use the Test Expression feature to validate your XPath and RegEx before saving.

Visual Overview

graph LR subgraph "Search Fields" sf(fal:fa-magnifying-glass-plus File name) end subgraph "Search Field Expressions" sfe(fal:fa-flask XPath with RegEx plugin) end subgraph "MessageTypes" mt1(fal:fa-file Orders) end sf --- sfe sfe ---|Expression configuration| mt1

Diagram: How Search Fields, Expressions, and Message Types connect in Nodinite.

Screenshots

Select XPath with RegEx Plugin
Selecting the XPath with RegEx plugin in the Search Field configuration.

Test Expression
Valid expression with state output, unique values, and total count.

No Result
Example of an invalid expression, which yields no result.

Test Expression
Valid expression with state output, unique values, and total count for node extraction.