removing a section from an XML file

[gcue]

hello world

i am trying to remove <statusTexts>...</statusTexts> from an xml file

i tried doing it this way but it seems to render the xml file useless (think it has to do with the spacing - xml files are space sensitive?)

$data = FileRead($xml_file)
$new_data= StringRegExpReplace($data, "<statusTexts>([V]*)</statusTexts>", "")
FileOpen($xml_file, 2)
FileWrite($xml_file, $new_data)

i have also tried using _XMLDomWrapper but have not had success using _XMLDeleteNode (bc I dont think <statusTexts> is a node?)

here's the XML file

any help is greatly appreciated!

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><imClientConfig buddylist-version="1.0" external-mod="" lastUpdated="1336984323374" version="1.0"><communities><community alwaysEditActiveText="true" alwaysEditAwayText="true" alwaysEditDndText="true" authServerUrl="" authType="TAM-SPNEGO" autoAwayTimeout="20" availWhenUnlocked="true" cloud="false" editable="" email="" iconIsUserSpecified="false" iconPath="" internetFilter="" isAutoActiveEnabled="true" isAutoAwayEnabled="true" isAutoAwayTimeoutEnabled="true" keepAliveInterval="60" loginAtStartup="true" loginByToken="false" managed="false" partnerIdType="" port="1533" primry="false" readNotesCanonicalSetting="false" resolveLivenames="false" savePassword="true" sendKeepAlive="true" useCustomTextForAutoAway="false" useGlobalConnSettings="true" useOsPass="false" useServerForLookup="true"><connection connectionType="direct" proxyHost="" proxyPort="" proxyResolvesLocally="false" proxyUserName="" tokenHostUrl="" transport=""/><statusTexts><activeText>I am available, how can I help you...?</activeText><activeText>I am available, supporting from home...</activeText><activeText>I&apos;m available, supporting from home...</activeText><activeText>How can I help you today!</activeText><activeText>I am available</activeText><activeText>???</activeText><awayText>??????????????</awayText><awayText>I&apos;m away for lunch time, will respond as soon as I get back...</awayText><awayText>Sorry...away from my computer now...</awayText><awayText>I am away from my computer now</awayText><inMtgText>Sorry, I am in a meeting! Can I get back to you later?</inMtgText><inMtgText>Sorry, in meeting now!</inMtgText><inMtgText>?????</inMtgText><inMtgText>I am in a meeting</inMtgText><dndText>Sorry, I am in a meeting! Can I get back to you later?</dndText><dndText>Sorry, in meeting now!</dndText><dndText>???????</dndText><dndText>Please do not disturb me</dndText><idleText>??????????????</idleText><idleText>I am away from my computer now</idleText><lockText>??????????????</lockText><lockText>I am away from my computer now</lockText></statusTexts></community></communities></imClientConfig>

Edited May 14, 2012 by gcue

[jdelaney]

• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/55aza6c2

look into removeall method, or removechild method

[gcue]

thanks ill try it out.

[gcue]

looks like its not working, because the node contains foreign language characters - if i process one that doesn't have special characters then

it works fine.

[jdelaney]

$oXML=ObjCreate("Microsoft.XMLDOM")

$doc = $oXML.documentelement
;MsgBox ( 4096,"test",$doc.text )
        $oXML.LoadXml("<book genre='novel' ISBN='1-861001-57-5'>" & _
                    "<title>Pride And Prejudice</title>" & _
                    "</book>")
ConsoleWrite ( $oXML.xml & @CRLF)
$oXMLChild = $oXML.selectSingleNode( "//title" )
;$oXMLChild = $oXML.selectSingleNode( "//items/item[@name=""racecar""]/type[0]" )
ConsoleWrite ( $oXMLChild.xml & @CRLF)
$root = $oXML.documentelement
$test = $root.removeChild ($oXMLChild )
ConsoleWrite ( $oXML.xml & @CRLF)

This removes the 'title' node...and really? provide the xml structure, snippet, plz.

Edited May 14, 2012 by jdelaney

[gcue]

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><imClientConfig buddylist-version="1.0" external-mod="" lastUpdated="1336984323374" version="1.0"><communities><community alwaysEditActiveText="true" alwaysEditAwayText="true" alwaysEditDndText="true" authServerUrl="" authType="TAM-SPNEGO" autoAwayTimeout="20" availWhenUnlocked="true" cloud="false" editable="" email="" iconIsUserSpecified="false" iconPath="" internetFilter="" isAutoActiveEnabled="true" isAutoAwayEnabled="true" isAutoAwayTimeoutEnabled="true" keepAliveInterval="60" loginAtStartup="true" loginByToken="false" managed="false" partnerIdType="" port="1533" primry="false" readNotesCanonicalSetting="false" resolveLivenames="false" savePassword="true" sendKeepAlive="true" useCustomTextForAutoAway="false" useGlobalConnSettings="true" useOsPass="false" useServerForLookup="true"><connection connectionType="direct" proxyHost="" proxyPort="" proxyResolvesLocally="false" proxyUserName="" tokenHostUrl="" transport=""/><statusTexts><activeText>I am available, how can I help you...?</activeText><activeText>I am available, supporting from home...</activeText><activeText>I&apos;m available, supporting from home...</activeText><activeText>How can I help you today!</activeText><activeText>I am available</activeText><activeText>応答忯</activeText><awayText>コンピュータを使㿣㿦㿄㿾㿛ん</awayText><awayText>I&apos;m away for lunch time, will respond as soon as I get back...</awayText><awayText>Sorry...away from my computer now...</awayText><awayText>I am away from my computer now</awayText><inMtgText>Sorry, I am in a meeting! Can I get back to you later?</inMtgText><inMtgText>Sorry, in meeting now!</inMtgText><inMtgText>会議中㿧㿙</inMtgText><inMtgText>I am in a meeting</inMtgText><dndText>Sorry, I am in a meeting! Can I get back to you later?</dndText><dndText>Sorry, in meeting now!</dndText><dndText>応答㿧㿿㿾㿛ん</dndText><dndText>Please do not disturb me</dndText><idleText>コンピュータを使㿣㿦㿄㿾㿛ん</idleText><idleText>I am away from my computer now</idleText><lockText>コンピュータを使㿣㿦㿄㿾㿛ん</lockText><lockText>I am away from my computer now</lockText></statusTexts></community></communities></imClientConfig>

[jdelaney]

that XML seems to be invalid...you close off a node, but then also have a closing node...<community ....lots of attributes... /> lots of elements</community>

double check the full structure.

[jdelaney]

It's odd, it almost seems like you can't delete something that's nested beyond one layer...

[gcue]

it lets me delete it when theres no special characters..

using this:

_XMLFileOpen($xml_file)
 _XMLDeleteNode("//imClientConfig/communities/*")
 if @error then MsgBox(0,@error,"cant find")

Edited May 14, 2012 by gcue

[gcue]

actually found my mistake.. stringregexpreplace works just fine =)

$data = FileRead($xml_file)
$new_data= StringRegExpReplace($data, "<statusTexts>([V]*)</statusTexts>", "")
$file = FileOpen($xml_file, 2)
FileWrite($xml_file, $new_data)
FileClose($file)

thanks for your help!

[jdelaney]

here...found the probelm, you can only delete child, when the object you delete from specifically has that child...so use the xpath to get the child, move up one level, and then delete it:

$oXML=ObjCreate("Microsoft.XMLDOM")
$stest = FileRead("c:usersjdelaneydesktoptest.xml")
$oXML.LoadXML($stest)
ConsoleWrite ( $oXML.xml & @CRLF)

$oXMLChild1 = $oXML.selectSingleNode( "//activeText" )
$parent = $oXMLChild1.ParentNode

$test = $parent.removeChild ( $oXMLChild1 )
ConsoleWrite ( $oXML.xml & @CRLF)

[gcue]

awesome! works wonderfully!

and i was able to add this at the end for the icing on the cake

$oXML.Save($xml_file)

thank you VERY much!!

[gcue]

strange:

this works fantastic on winxp (english version)

but doesnt work on winxp (japanese version)

the $oXML object gets created but fails in accesing the parentnode

Func Remove_StatusTXT($xml_file)

$oXML = ObjCreate("[color="#008080"]Microsoft.XMLDOM[/color]")
If Not IsObj($oXML) Then
  MsgBox($msg_error, $selection_text, "Unable to create COM session to XML.")
  SetError(1)
  Return
EndIf
MsgBox(0, "", "1")
$stest = FileRead($xml_file)
$oXML.LoadXML($stest)
MsgBox(0, "", "2")
$oXMLChild1 = $oXML.SelectSingleNode("//statusTexts")
MsgBox(0, "", "3")
$parent = $oXMLChild1.ParentNode;error happens here
MsgBox(0, "", "4")
$test = $parent.RemoveChild($oXMLChild1);crash happens here
MsgBox(0, "", "5")
$oXML.Save($xml_file)
MsgBox(0, "", "6")
EndFunc   ;==>Remove_StatusTXT

ive also tried creating the object with each of these versions (obj gets created - but no luck with accessing parentNode):

Func _CreateMSXMLObj() ; Creates a MSXML instance depending on the version installed on the system
    $xmlObj = ObjCreate("Msxml2.DOMDocument.6.0") ; Latest available, default in Vista
    If IsObj($xmlObj) Then
  ConsoleWrite("6" & @CRLF)
Return $xmlObj
EndIf
    $xmlObj = ObjCreate("Msxml2.DOMDocument.5.0") ; Office 2003
    If IsObj($xmlObj) Then
  ConsoleWrite("5" & @CRLF)
Return $xmlObj
EndIf
    $xmlObj = ObjCreate("Msxml2.DOMDocument.4.0")
    If IsObj($xmlObj) Then
  ConsoleWrite("4" & @CRLF)
Return $xmlObj
EndIf
    $xmlObj = ObjCreate("Msxml2.DOMDocument.3.0") ; XP and w2k3 server
    If IsObj($xmlObj) Then
  ConsoleWrite("3" & @CRLF)
Return $xmlObj
EndIf
    $xmlObj = ObjCreate("Msxml2.DOMDocument.2.6") ; Win98 ME...
    If IsObj($xmlObj) Then
  ConsoleWrite("2.6" & @CRLF)
Return $xmlObj
EndIf
    Return 0
EndFunc   ;==>_CreateMSXMLObj

any ideas?

Edited May 18, 2012 by gcue

[gcue]

is there another way of editing a file (removing certain sections from it) without re-writing the file?

[BrewManNH]

is there another way of editing a file (removing certain sections from it) without re-writing the file?

No, once removed, it has to be rewritten, because it only exists in memory and any changes made will disappear once the memory is freed.

[gcue]

my challenge remains: unable to edit the xml file to delete a node (works in english windows but not japanese windows)... and if i try to read the xml data and re-write the modified data - special characters are lost.

i also tried inidelete - i think i saw someone using ini functions to edit xml files once.