Hello all, I have a problem I'm hoping to get some help with.
I have a script that will create an N-tire hash, i.e. a hash of hashes { of hashes of hashes, you get the idea } after parsing an XML file and grabbing the attributes which become the keys of the hash.
An example XML file:

<?xml version="1.0" standalone="no"?>
<!DOCTYPE datacapture SYSTEM "datacapture5.0.dtd">
<data-capture-requirements type="content">
    <ruleset name="Foo">

        <item name="A"/>
        <item name="B"/>
        <item name="C"/>

        <item name="D">
            <replicant min="0" max="15">
                <item name="1"/>
                        </replicant>
                </item>

        <container name="E">
                <item name="1"/>
                <item name="2"/>
                    <item name="3"/>
            <item name="4"/>
        </container>

    </ruleset>
</data-capture-requirements>
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Would create the hash:

$VAR1 = {
    'Foo' => {
        'D' => {
            '1' => {}
        },
        'A' => {},
        'E' => {
            '1' => {},
            '2' => {},
            '3' => {},
            '4' => {},
        },
        'B' => {},
        'C' => {},
    }
};
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Now, my problem comes along when I try to traverse this hash.
I thought that if I did use Tie::IxHash package and then tied it via: tie %HASH, "Tie::IxHash"; that I would be ok.
Well, I was wrong.
So then I tried to make each sub hash tied to IxHash, which also failed in a big way.
Either way I do this, the order gets all blown up and becomes useless.
I've looked around here for something, anything but I can't find any love there. So, what can I do? I'm going crazy tring to figure this out!!!!
Thanks all for your help.

<update>Well, after hearing from St. Randal, I'm gonna try for the arrays of arrays method and report back what I came up with.
Any hints?</update>

<update>Thanks to all for your hints, for I think I have solved my problem using a mismash of the ideas. This code will return an array of hashes ( of arrays of hashes...)
Check out the following code:

sub returnRecordHeadings {
    my ( $self, $xml ) = @_;
    return undef if ( not $xml );

    undef $HEADER;                    # Reset the global HEADER var
    my @header;                    # Declare the header object

    my $rootnode;                    # Declare the starting point of t
+he XML doc
    my $parser        = new XML::DOM::Parser;    # Create new DOM Pars
+er object

    # Parse the file or the string representing it
    $parser = ( -e "$xml" ) ? $parser->parsefile("$xml") : $parser->pa
+rse("$xml");

    ### Traverse, Breath first ###
     my $rootnodes = $parser->getElementsByTagName ( "ruleset" );
     my $rn = $rootnodes->getLength;

    for ( my $i = 0; $i < $rn; $i++ ) {

             my $root = $rootnodes->item ($i); # Gather data for this 
+root node
             my $rootname = $root->getAttributeNode  ("name")->getValu
+e; # Get the root element name
             printf "%s %s name=>%s is of type=>%s\n", $root->getNodeN
+ame(), $i, $rootname, $root->getNodeType if ( $DEBUG );

        if ( $root->getNodeType =~ m/1|ELEMENT_NODE/i ) {            #
+ Check for correct elemet type before parsing
            push @{ $HEADER }, { "$rootname" => [] } if ( $rootname );
+    # Save rootname in HEADER if I have a rootname
            my $rootref = \$HEADER->[$i];                    # update 
+array ref

            print "---RootRef Dump---\n", Dumper( $rootref ), "\n" if 
+( $DEBUG );

            ### iterate over the result nodes ###
            for my $elem ( $root->getElementsByTagName( "*" ) ) {

                if ( ( scalar( @{ $elem->getChildNodes() } ) > 1 ) and
+ ( $elem->getParentNode()->getAttribute("name") eq "$rootname" ) ) {

                    if ( $DEBUG ) {
                        printf "Element=>%s\n", $elem;
                        printf "Has kids=>%s\tHow many=>%s\n", ( $elem
+->hasChildNodes() ) ? "Yes" : "No", scalar( @{ $elem->getChildNodes()
+ } );
                        printf "\t%s ::> %s\n", $root->getChildIndex( 
+$elem ), $elem->getNodeName();
                        printf "\t\tname='%s'\n", $elem->getAttribute(
+"name") || "No Child";
                    }

                    &_traverse_element( $elem, $rootref, 2 );

                    print '*' x 5 . "\n" if ( $DEBUG );

                } else { next }

            }

        }

        print '~*' x 10, "\n" if ( $DEBUG );

     }

    # Avoid memory leaks - cleanup circular references for garbage col
+lection
    $parser->dispose;

    return $HEADER;

    sub _traverse_element {
        my( $elem, $rootref, $count ) = @_;
        my $rootname    = ( keys( %{ $$rootref } ) )[0] || "NO ROOT NA
+ME!";
        my $parent    = $elem->getParentNode()->getAttribute("name");
        my $grandparent    = $elem->getParentNode()->getParentNode()->
+getAttribute("name");
        my $current    = $elem->getAttribute("name");

        if ( $DEBUG ) {
            printf "\t" x $count . "Current node=>%s\n",    $elem->get
+NodeName();
            printf "\t" x $count . "Root Name=>%s\n",    $rootname    
+|| "No Root Name Value";
            printf "\t" x $count . "Current Parent=>%s\n",    $parent 
+     || $grandparent    || "No Parent";
            printf "\t" x $count . "Current GrandParent=>%s\n", $grand
+parent|| "No Grandparent";
            printf "\t" x $count . "Current Node=>%s\n",    $current  
+  || "No Current node name";
        }

        # If my parent is my root
        if ( $parent eq $rootname ) {
            printf "\t" x ++$count . "--->'%s' child element of '%s' w
+hich is a %s\n",
                $current, $rootname, $elem->getNodeName() if ( $DEBUG 
+);

            ### Decide where to place new element ###
            ### If current element has a name attribute ###
            ### Add current element to the array ref ###
            if ( $current ) { push @{ $$rootref->{"$parent"} }, { $cur
+rent => [] } }
            printf "\t" x $count . "RootRef defined?=>%s\n", ( defined
+ $$rootref->{"$parent"}->[$#{ $$rootref->{"$parent"} }] ) ? "Yes" : "
+No" if ( $DEBUG );

            ### Update array ref to new location ###
            if ( ( defined $$rootref->{"$parent"}->[$#{ $$rootref->{"$
+parent"} }] ) and ( $current ) ) {
                $rootref = \$$rootref->{"$parent"}->[$#{ $$rootref->{"
+$parent"} }];
                print "\t" x $count . "---Updated RootRef---\n" if ( $
+DEBUG );
            }

            # If this element has kids, traverse them
            $count++;
            printf "\t" x $count . "Has kids=>%s\tHow many=>%s\n", ( $
+elem->hasChildNodes() ) ? "Yes" : "No", scalar @{ $elem->getChildNode
+s() } if ( $DEBUG );
            for my $child ( $elem->getChildNodes() ) {

                if ( ( scalar @{ $child->getChildNodes() } > 1 ) and (
+ $child->getNodeName() !~ m/^radio|select|checkbox/i ) ) {

                    ### Add current element to the array ref here, if 
+not current ###
                    if ( not $current ) { push @{ $$rootref->{"$parent
+"} }, { $child->getAttribute("name") => [] } }
                    if ( $DEBUG ) {
                        printf "\t" x $count . "%s :::> %s name='%s'\n
+", $elem->getChildIndex( $child ), $child->getNodeName(), $child->get
+Attribute("name") || "No Name";
                        printf "\t" x $count . "Has kids=>%s\tHow many
+=>%s\n", ( $child->hasChildNodes() ) ? "Yes" : "No", scalar @{ $child
+->getChildNodes() };
                    }

                    # Update rootref, and pass
                    &_traverse_element( $child, $rootref, $count );
                    print "\t" x $count . '*-' x 10, "\n" if ( $DEBUG 
+);
                }
            }
        }
    }

} # End Sub
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