Sorry the XML in a Nutshell link went dead. Here's...

2005-04-25T12:20:00.000-05:00

Sorry the XML in a Nutshell link went dead. Here's the Google Cache of the page, which might be good for a little while longer.

Your link to XML in a Nutshell is broken. :-)

2005-04-22T21:59:00.000-05:00

Your link to XML in a Nutshell is broken. :-)

"String literals may be enclosed in either single ...

2005-04-20T10:48:00.000-05:00

"String literals may be enclosed in either single or double quotes as convenient. The quotes are not themselves part of the string. The only restriction XPath places on a string literal is that it must not contain the kind of quote that delimits it. That is, if the string contains single quotes, it has to be enclosed in double quotes and vice versa."
-XML in a Nutshell, Fair Usage

So that's all there is to it- it can't be done.

XPath provides no conventions to indicate literal quotation marks in a string literal.

In an XPath query, if you create a string literal dynamically, don't assume that the string won't literally contain the type of quotation marks used to enclose the string itself.

For instance, never write Javascript like this:
var myName = "John";
var myNode = dom.selectSingleNode( "*[local-name() = \"" + myName + "\"]");

Instead, a new XML context must be created, containing a variable, parameter, or node with the quotation marks in the text. Instead of matching a string literal, the XPath query must match the text by referencing the node, variable, or parameter.

A string literal in an XPath query should not be created dynamically.

Dynamic text for use by an XPath query should not be expressed by a string literal in that query.

I think this is a serious defect because:
1. This behavior is unpredictable.
2. This is a significant inconvenience.

Comments on findmercy.com: A Window Into My Work Day

Sorry the XML in a Nutshell link went dead. Here's...

Your link to XML in a Nutshell is broken. :-)

"String literals may be enclosed in either single ...