XML::Simple is designed for simple XML documents. It is not designed to be a simple to use XML parser. Trying to do "interesting" stuff with XML::Simple is a recipe for misery. In the long run (say in an hour) converting to something like XML::Twig will be less tedious and make your life much happier than persisting in trying to hammer XML::Simple into shape for a job it wasn't designed for.

Seriously, have a serious crack at using XML::Twig. If you haven't made solid progress in an hour come back for some tips.

I do find XML::Twig pretty easier, My superiors are so adamant on sticking to XML::Simple, I don't get a say in that. That's the reason as of now I'm sticking with XML::Simple. But can anything be done on the code I posted? Really appreciate the help

My superiors are so adamant on sticking to XML::Simple

Perhaps you should try to have them read this: XML::Simple needs to go!

See Simpler than XML::Simple

If you have XML::Simple, you most likely also have XML::Parser & XML::Parser::Expat. XML::Rules is a plain Perl module on top of XML::Parser::Expat, so you don't really need to build and install it into the Perl directories, you can use it as a module you write yourself and copy it with the rest of your app/scripts.

I believe you can do the same with XML::Twig.

Jenda
Enoch was right!
Enjoy the last years of Rome.

But can anything be done on the code I posted?

Yes, it can be ignored :)

It doesn't use XML::Simple, its parsing xml by hand

The xml file you posted isn't valid

If I understand you right you want all <Module> tags into one file and all other tags directly in <Root><Top> into the other, right? This is what it could look like using XML::Rules:

use strict;
use XML::Rules;

open MODULE, '>', 'splitXML-test-Module.xml';
print MODULE "<Root>\n <Top>\n";

open OTHER, '>', 'splitXML-test-Other.xml';
print OTHER "<Root>\n <Top>\n";

my $parser = XML::Rules->new(rules => {
    Root => '',
    Top => '',
    Module => [
        '/Root/Top' => sub {
            my ($tag_name, $attrs, $context, $parent_data, $parser) = 
+@_;
            print MODULE '  ' . $parser->ToXML($tag_name, $attrs) . "\
+n";
            return;
        },
        'raw'
    ],
    _default => [
        '/Root/Top' => sub {
            my ($tag_name, $attrs, $context, $parent_data, $parser) = 
+@_;
            print OTHER '  ' . $parser->ToXML($tag_name, $attrs) . "\n
+";
            return;
        },
        'raw'
    ]
});

$parser->parse(\*DATA);

print MODULE " </Top>\n</Root>\n";
print OTHER " </Top>\n</Root>\n";

__DATA__
<Root>
 <Top>
  <Module name="ALU">
   <input name="po_ctrl"/>
   <bidirection name="add"/>
  </Module>
  <Module name="Po_ctrl">
   <input name="ctrl"/>
   <output name="ctrlbus"/>
   <bidirection name="add"/>
  </Module>
  <input name="add"/>
  <input name="clk"/>
  <input name="da_in"/>
  <output name="da_out"/>
  <bidirection name="ctrl"/>
</Top>
</Root>
[download]

Basically you specify that you do not want to "return" anything from the <Root> and <Top> nodes, that the <Module> tags directly under <Root><Top> should be printed (including attributes and content) into the MODULE filehandle and otherwise just remembered for the parent tag. That other tags if directly under <Root><Top> should be printed to the OTHER filehandle and otherwise remembered.

/me whistles

$ xml_split -v -i -c Module junk1152042.xml

generating main file junk1152042-00.xml
generating junk1152042-01.xml
generating junk1152042-02.xml

$ cat junk1152042-00.xml
<Root>
  <Top>
    <xi:include href="junk1152042-01.xml"/>
    <xi:include href="junk1152042-02.xml"/>
    <input name="add"/>
    <input name="clk"/>
    <input name="da_in"/>
    <output name="da_out"/>
    <bidirection name="ctrl"/>
  </Top>
</Root>

$ cat junk1152042-01.xml
<Module name="ALU">
      <input name="po_ctrl"/>
      <bidirection name="add"/>
    </Module>
$ cat junk1152042-02.xml
<Module name="Po_ctrl">
      <input name="ctrl"/>
      <output name="ctrlbus"/>
      <bidirection name="add"/>
    </Module>
$
[download]

Thank you everyone!!