XPointer, the XML Pointer Language, defines an addressing scheme for individual parts of an XML document. These addresses can be used by any application that needs to identify parts of or locations in an XML document. For instance, an XML editor could use an XPointer to identify the current position of the insertion point or the range of the selection. An XInclude processor can use an XPointer to determine what part of a document to include. And the URI in an XLink can include an XPointer fragment identifier that locates one particular element in the targeted document. XPointers use the same XPath syntax that you're familiar with from XSL transformations to identify the parts of the document they point to, along with a few additional pieces.
