From: Phrogz <phrogz@...>
Date: 2008-01-24T08:09:58+09:00
Subject: Re: Parsing poorly written XML

On Jan 23, 3:35 pm, Patrick Callahan <hoc...@youskate.com> wrote:
> I've found an application which dumps all the registry settings for
> installed applications into an .xml file for me (you can find it as
> "myuninstall" via google).
>
> I can't figure out the ruby code I need from REXML to do the following:
> -find a particular "product_name" in the xml file
> -if found, save off the "uninstall_string" so I can execute it on the
> commandline and uninstall the app.

require 'rexml/document'
doc = REXML::Document.new( DATA.read )

# Find 'item' elements at any level
# that have a child 'name' element whose text value is 'foo'
doc.each_element( "//item[name='foo']" ){ |item|
  # Find every child element of the item element
  # whose name is 'value', get the first one, and get its text
  puts item.get_elements( "value" ).first.text
}
#=> 42
#=> 17

__END__
<root>
  <item>
    <name>foo</name>
    <value>42</value>
  </item>
  <item>
    <name>bar</name>
    <value>17</value>
  </item>
  <item>
    <name>foo</name>
    <value>17</value>
  </item>
</root>