Data Extractor Section Documentation

This tool allows extracting specific data points from multiple XML files simultaneously using XPath queries.

Overview

The Data Extractor streamlines the process of gathering the same piece of information from numerous XML files. You can provide the XML files either by uploading ZIP archives or by selecting files already loaded in the application. An XPath query specifies the data to extract, and the results are displayed in a table.

Features

1. Input Data Source (Tabs)

Two methods are available for providing the XML files to process:

• Upload ZIP Files:

  • Allows dragging and dropping or browsing to select one or more ZIP files.
  • The extractor will automatically find and process XML files within the uploaded archives.
  • It identifies XML files based on the .xml extension or by inspecting the content of files without the extension.

• Use Loaded Files:

  • Displays a list of XML files currently loaded in the application's "Files" section.
  • Allows selecting individual files or using a "Select All" checkbox.

2. XPath Query

• Query Input: A text field where the XPath query is entered.
• Standard XPath: Supports standard XPath 1.0 syntax for navigating the XML structure and selecting nodes or attribute values (e.g., //element/@attribute, /root/path/to/value).

• Concatenation Syntax: Supports a special syntax to concatenate multiple values from the same file using a specified delimiter:

  /path/to/element1 & ' delimiter ' & /path/to/element2
  

  • This will find element1 and element2 within each file and output value1 delimiter value2 as a single extracted value.
• Namespace Handling: Attempts to handle XML namespaces automatically, including default namespaces and using local-name() for namespace-agnostic matching when standard methods fail.
• Clear Query Button (X): An icon button appears in the input field to quickly clear the current query.

3. Extraction Process

• Extract Values Button: Triggers the extraction process using the selected input source (ZIPs or loaded files) and the provided XPath query.
• Progress Indicator: Shows a loading spinner and progress text (e.g., "Processing XML files: X of Y") while extracting data.
• Error Handling: Displays error messages if issues occur during ZIP processing, file reading, or XPath evaluation.

4. Results Display

• Results Table: Displays the extracted data with two columns:

  • File Name: The name of the source file (including ZIP archive name and path within the ZIP, if applicable).
  • Extracted Value: The data extracted from that file based on the XPath query.
• Multiple Matches: If an XPath query matches multiple nodes within a single XML file, each match will be listed as a separate row in the results table with the same file name.

5. Results Actions

Below the results table, several actions are available:

• Copy Values: Copies only the text from the "Extracted Value" column to the clipboard, with each value on a new line.
• Download as CSV: Downloads the complete results table (both "File Name" and "Extracted Value" columns) as a comma-separated values (.csv) file. Values containing commas or quotes are appropriately escaped.
• Clear All: Clears the current XPath query, the results table, the list of uploaded ZIP files, and any error messages.

6. Persistence

• The last entered XPath query and the last set of extraction results are automatically saved in your browser.
• When revisiting the Data Extractor section, previous results are displayed along with an informational message. Uploading new files or running a new extraction will replace these previous results.