Verify an XPath in .NET

Question

How can I verify a given xpath string is valid in C#/.NET?

I'm not sure just running the XPath and catching exceptions is a valid solution (putting aside the bile in my throat for a moment) - what if tomorrow I run into some other input I haven't tested against?

Answer 1

You try it out and catch the exception.

An empty document will be enough.

XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
XPathNavigator nav = doc.CreateNavigator();
try 
{
  XPathExpression expr = nav.Compile(xPathString);
}
catch (XPathException)
{
  MessageBox.Show("Your XPath is invalid");
}

Answer 2

Use a 'mild' regular expression to filter out complete garbage. If it passes the regex, just execute the query and catch exceptions, like mentioned above...

Answer 3

The answer is very close to what Tomalak wrote (fixed compilation error & put a mandatory body to the XML):

public static class XPathValidator
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Throws an XPathException if <paramref name="xpath"/> is not a valid XPath
    /// </summary>
    public static void Validate(string xpath)
    {
        using (MemoryStream stream = new MemoryStream(Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("<xml></xml>")))
        {
            XPathDocument doc = new XPathDocument(stream);
            XPathNavigator nav = doc.CreateNavigator();
            nav.Compile(xpath);
        }
    }
}