X-noderef object handle

A handle to a reference to an XML node. The X-noderef object is an ABL object that is a reference to any arbitrary node in an XML tree except a document node. You create the handle and assign it to a handle variable with the CREATE X-NODEREF statement.

An X-noderef object is not in a fully usable state until it has been associated with an X-document. Before this, you can only access its HANDLE, TYPE, PRIVATE-DATE, and UNIQUE-ID attributes without error. To avoid run-time errors, the following code shows one way to test the status of an X-noderef object:

 

cType = X-noderef-handle:SUBTYPE NO-ERROR. IF VALID-HANDLE(X-noderef-handle) AND cType = 'ELEMENT' THEN DO: /*** your code ***/ END.

Syntax 

 

x-noderef-handle [ :attribute | :method ]

x-noderef-handle

A handle variable that references an X-noderef object. You can use this handle as a parameter or return‑value for attributes and methods that provide access to the underlying XML node.

attribute

An attribute of the X-noderef object.

method

A method of the X-noderef object.

Attributes

 

ATTRIBUTE-NAMES attribute	CHILD-NUM attribute	HANDLE attribute
INSTANTIATING-PROCEDURE attribute	LOCAL-NAME attribute	NAME attribute
NAMESPACE-PREFIX attribute	NAMESPACE-URI attribute	NODE-VALUE attribute
NUM-CHILDREN attribute	OWNER-DOCUMENT attribute	SUBTYPE attribute
TYPE attribute	UNIQUE-ID attribute	–

Methods

 

APPEND-CHILD( ) method	CLONE-NODE( ) method
DELETE-NODE( ) method	GET-ATTRIBUTE( ) method
GET-ATTRIBUTE-NODE( ) method	GET-CHILD( ) method
GET-PARENT( ) method	INSERT-BEFORE( ) method
LONGCHAR-TO-NODE-VALUE( ) method	MEMPTR-TO-NODE-VALUE( ) method
NODE-VALUE-TO-LONGCHAR( ) method	NODE-VALUE-TO-MEMPTR( ) method
NORMALIZE( ) method	REMOVE-ATTRIBUTE( ) method
REMOVE-CHILD( ) method	REPLACE-CHILD( ) method
SET-ATTRIBUTE( ) method	SET-ATTRIBUTE-NODE( ) method

Note 

The value of the UNIQUE-ID attribute on this handle is guaranteed to be unique only for the life cycle of the single XML document instance to which it belongs (the currently-associated X-document object handle). Once the currently-associated x-document handle is deleted, any new XML document (referenced with a new X-document handle value) can re-use the UNIQUE-ID attribute values for the x-noderef objects of the deleted document. Thus, you can track the uniqueness of x-noderef object instances within an ABL session by remembering each pair of UNIQUE-ID attribute values from a given x-noderef object handle and its associated x-document object handle.

See also 

CREATE X-NODEREF statement, X-document object handle