From: Andreas Pinkert <the_supernova@...>
Date: 2002-08-13T05:48:42+09:00
Subject: Problem with REXML

Hi!

I think I have an problem understanding REXML.

let's say I have this XML file:

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<INVENTORY>
  <BOOK>
    <TITLE>lala</TITLE>
    <AUTHOR>hans</AUTHOR>
  </BOOK>
  <BOOK>
    <TITLE>lele</TITLE>
    <AUTHOR>hens</AUTHOR>
  </BOOK>
</INVENTORY>

Now I want my application to get the author of the book called "lala".
In my perfect world something like that would work:

doc.each_element("BOOK") {|book| puts book.element("AUTHOR") if 
  "lala" == book.element("TITLE")}

or, even better:

@element = Element.new()
doc.each_element("BOOK") {|book| @element = book if 
  "lala" == book.element("TITLE")}


working with the documentation of REXML, it seems, that the usual way 
to access a certein element is over its attributes, which is pretty 
useless in my example. 
And it seems impossible to get the parent of an element.

have I missed something?

regards, 

Andreas.