What is "xpointer"

XPointer is a system for addressing components of XML based Internet media. It is divided among four specifications: a " framework" that forms the basis for identifying XML fragments, a positional element addressing scheme, a scheme for namespaces, and a scheme for XPath-based addressing. XPointer Framework is a W3C recommendation since March 2003.

The XPointer language is designed to address structural aspects of XML, including text content and other information objects created as a result of parsing the document. Thus, it could be used to point to a section of a document highlighted by a user through a mouse drag action.

XPointer is covered by a royalty-free technology patent held by Sun Microsystems.