HTML DOM Text() nodes

Question

I need to get a handle on the element given the path to the text node or Xpath.
I use the following method to return the element.

result.singleNodeValue; returns null if there are multiple childNodes present, can I merge them into one?

function xpathElement(expr) {
    var resolver = function (prefix) {
        if ("xhtml" == prefix) {
            return "http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml";
        }
    }

    var result = document.evaluate(expr, document, resolver, 9, null)

    console.log("function xpathElement: possible multiple nodes:");
    console.log(result);
    result = result.singleNodeValue;
    console.log("function xpathElement: singleNodeValue:");
    console.log(result);


    return result;
}

Works:
When I pass in the following it returns a text node fine

/xhtml:html[0001]/xhtml:body[0001]/xhtml:div[0002]/xhtml:div[0001]/text()[0001]

Does not work:
When I pass in the following it returns null

/xhtml:html[0001]/xhtml:body[0001]/xhtml:div[0002]/text()[0003]

Here is the html I am using

<p class="calibre1">
  <a id="itr"></a>
</p>
<div class="fmhT">
  <b class="calibre3">INTRODUCTION</b>
</div>
<div class="fmtx">
  Between 1843 and 1848, Dickens wrote five novellas or long short stories that he
 published at Christmastime (<i class="calibre6">A Christmas Carol</i>, The Chimes, The
 Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain).
 The stories are not merely set at Christmas or the New Year’s holiday but contain themes
 the author felt were particularly appropriate to the season. While Christmas celebrations
 predate Dickens and there existed before him a tradition of telling ghost-tales at
 Christmas and the turn of the year, Dickens breathed a new and unique vigor into these
 celebrations and traditions that carry forward to this day. He wrote other ghost stories,
 almost all of which are spoofs or farces, but in his “Christmas books” allowed 
supernatural elements a power to awaken characters and readers from their social 
misanthropy.

</div>

It seems this element <i class="calibre6">A Christmas Carol</i> is splitting the text node into 3 parts

Child nodes for <div class="fmtx">

node 1
"Between 1843 and 1848, Dickens wrote five novellas or long short stories that he published at Christmastime ("

node 2
"A Christmas Carol"

node 3
", The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and The Haunted Man and the Ghostâ€™s Bargain). The stories are not merely set at Christmas or the New Yearâ€™s holiday but contain themes the author felt were particularly appropriate to the season. While Christmas celebrations predate Dickens and there existed before him a tradition of telling ghost-tales at Christmas and the turn of the year, Dickens breathed a new and unique vigor into these celebrations and traditions that carry forward to this day. He wrote other ghost stories, almost all of which are spoofs or farces, but in his â€œChristmas booksâ€ allowed supernatural elements a power to awaken characters and readers from their social misanthropy. "

How do i combine these text nodes as one?

I have tried $('.fmtx').normalize(); with no luck, still shows 3 childNodes.

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks!

Update

I have added a jsfiddle, maby this will make more sense, http://jsfiddle.net/95Bc7/

keep and eye on console log at the bottom for +++++++++++++++++ ancestor xpath element: null

1) Make a selection before the italic text

+++++++++++++++++ ancestor xpath element: [object Text]

2) Make a selection on the italic text

+++++++++++++++++ ancestor xpath element: [object Text]

3) Make a selection after the italic text

+++++++++++++++++ ancestor xpath element: null

is that a copy paste issue? your "works" and "does not work" examples are identical.. — Kevin B, Dec 03 '13 at 18:30
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/298750/how-do-i-select-text-nodes-with-jquery — Blazemonger, Dec 03 '13 at 18:31
`$('.fmtx').text(function(text){return text;});` might do what you want, i'm unsure though. your question is a bit confusing to me. — Kevin B, Dec 03 '13 at 18:32
Do you want the text to include the markup, or just the text without the italics markup? — Jim Garrison, Dec 03 '13 at 18:35
I would like the text to include the markup if that is possible — Francois, Dec 03 '13 at 18:36
then use .html to get the markup. The markup isn't a text node, this makes it even less clear what you are trying to do... — Kevin B, Dec 03 '13 at 18:37
Not sure if you understand this correctly, I need to return the DOM text node element. That splits the node into 3 parts and thus the result.singleNodeValue returns null. Can I merge these split text nodes into one so result.singleNodeValue returns the element? — Francois, Dec 03 '13 at 18:40
What's confusing me is that a text node can't contain an node, and you seem to want that as part of the text node. — Kevin B, Dec 03 '13 at 18:45
jQuery doesn't have a `.normalize()` method. That's a native method, but only works to join adjacent text nodes. Not elements. — Blue Skies, Dec 03 '13 at 18:46
I need the node so I can create range object to highlight the selected text — Francois, Dec 03 '13 at 18:59

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 18 '14 at 11:06

0

Yes, it is obvious, because in the code below there is no test that could not be recognized by the browser

<div class="fmhT">
  <b class="calibre3">INTRODUCTION</b>
</div>

thats all.

answered Mar 18 '14 at 11:06

Lakhan Sindhi

1
1

HTML DOM Text() nodes

Update

1 Answers1