From: Pete <pertl@...>
Date: 2006-07-08T22:07:37+09:00
Subject: rexml: replace several text nodes by a single one

Hi,

this sounds simple but I just don't get it...

I want to replace the text child nodes of an REXML::Element by a new, 
single text node...

In order to do that, I want to remove any previous text nodes first

---------------------------------
require 'rexml/document'
include REXML

doc = Document.new("<a>  <b/>  </a>")
a = doc.elements['a']
a.delete_element('b')

# assert: a.texts.size == 2

# try #1
#
# a.texts.clear
#  --> can't modify frozen array (TypeError)

# try #2
#
# iterate all elements, call delete_element: fails, because 
a.elements.size == 0

# MAGIC CODE GOES HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

a.text = "I am the only text in this element"

# assert a.texts.size == 1

---------------------------------

I don't think that setting all text nodes to zero-length string values 
is a _good_ solution.

thanks for your help!

regards
peter