--- schema_version: "1" id: d60ea23863d008e919e9eb320f02224507acb7c32f64cf354fabb7b65ef91a5e title: Using XQuery with the XML Module collection: mulesoft version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/mulesoft/current/en-us/xml-module/latest/xml-xquery.md canonical_url: https://docs.mulesoft.com/xml-module/latest/xml-xquery source_site: docs.mulesoft.com content_type: documentation content_hash: 3649237da0fbfcd6545e1ecd4d5c380e26803032e084e43dd1fb72bdbcf6efd1 description: MuleSoft Documentation Site release: "1.4" latest: true --- --- product: XML Module version: 1.4 is-latest-version: true --- # Using XQuery with the XML Module > For the full documentation index, see: https://docs.mulesoft.com/llms.txt The `` operation supports the evaluation of XQuery expressions. Because XQuery expressions can match any number of individual elements, this operation returns a List of Strings. If no element matches the expression, the operation returns an empty list. Note that though MuleSoft supports the XQuery standard, DataWeave is capable of achieving the same use cases and is the recommended tool for extracting and transforming XML documents. This example shows how to use XQuery to manipulate a list of books: Input: Book List ```xml Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen Modern Library 2002-12-31 English 9 187 0679601686 352 8.3 5.7 1.1 6.1 Wuthering Heights Charlotte Bronte Penguin Classics 2002-12-31 English 9.040000000000001 113 0141439556 430 1.0 5.2 7.8 11.2 Tess of the d'Urbervilles Thomas Hardy Bantam Classics 1984-05-01 English 12.5 85 0553211684 480 6.8 4.2 0.8 7.7 Jude the Obscure Thomas Hardy Penguin Classics 1998-09-01 English 7 129 0140435387 528 7.8 5.2 0.9 10.9 The Big Over Easy Jasper Fforde Hodder & Stoughton 2005-07-11 English 14.55 129 0340835672 346 22.5 18.0 3.5 390 The Eyre Affair Jasper Fforde Penguin 2003-02-25 English 15 129 0142001805 384 7.8 5.0 0.9 9.0 ``` This example uses XQuery to transform the book list above: XQuery Transformation Script ```xml { $b/AUTHOR } { $b/TITLE } ]]> ``` The XQuery transformation produces a List of Strings in which each entry corresponds to each of the following `` elements: Output XML ```xml Jasper Fforde <TITLE>The Eyre Affair Thomas Hardy <TITLE>Jude the Obscure Charlotte Bronte <TITLE>Wuthering Heights Jasper Fforde <TITLE>The Big Over Easy Jane Austen <TITLE>Pride and Prejudice Thomas Hardy <TITLE>Tess of the d'Urbervilles ``` By default, the operation attempts to transform an XML document at the message payload level. However, you can use the `content` parameter to supply the input document: Example: Using the content Parameter ```xml #[vars.books] { $b/AUTHOR } { $b/TITLE } ]]> ``` The example above gets the content from elsewhere (in this case, from a file in the filesystem) and then references it through a simple expression. ## Externalizing the XQuery Script to a Separate File To avoid embedding the XQuery script in your Mule app, you can pass it to the module through a file, for example: Example ```xml ${file::scripts/books.xquery} ``` In a more complex use case, the script you use might depend on some external condition. For example, imagine a multi-tenant integration in which the actual transformation to use depends on a `userID`: Complex Example ```xml (1) (2) #[vars.xquery] ``` 1. This flow is triggered through an HTTP request. 2. Assuming that the `userID` is provided as a query parameter, the example uses the File connector read the correct XQuery script and store it in a variable. 3. The module executes a transformation using an expression that points to the XQuery script retrieved through the Read operation. Note that the HTTP and File connectors are simply used as examples. They are not required to perform similar use cases. ## Using Context Properties and Multiple Inputs Like its `xpath` and `xslt` counterparts, the `xquery` operation supports context parameters that can pass arguments to the transformation. For example, assume that you want to combine the `books` XML above with the following `cities` XML document: Input ```xml ``` Let’s look at an example for this use case: XQuery Transformation Script ```xml (1) { for $b in fn:doc($books)/BOOKLIST/BOOKS/ITEM, $c in fn:doc($cities)/cities/city (4) return (5) } ]]> #[{'books' : vars.books, 'cities': vars.cities}] (6) ```
1Read the input documents, and store the contents in variables. This example uses the File connector, but any data source is acceptable.
2Declare the $cities variable in the XQuery script.
3Declare the $books variable in the XQuery script.
4Reference both documents using the $ prefix, and iterate both of them.
5Produce the output elements.
6Use DataWeave and the <xml-module:context-properties> parameter to bind the properties.
The script will output a List of Strings with only one item: Output ```xml ``` ## See Also [XML Module Overview](https://docs.mulesoft.com/xml-module/latest/)