I am new to XML parsing writing so be gentle... :) I have the following bit of XML I want to read in and and spit back out in exactly the same form but with different values: 
 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<AttributeDatabase>
     <attribclass toolonly="false" hidden="false" dbvault="true">
    <editlist name="default">
    <entry>*</entry>
    </editlist>
    <preferrededitlist>"default"</preferrededitlist>
    <attribdef name="mtl_param" synthetic="true" array="true">
        <desc>IsSynthetic</desc>
        <type>Attrib.Types.Vector4</type>
        <bound>True</bound>
        <properties platform="common">
        <mincount>2</mincount>
        <maxcount>2</maxcount>
        </properties>
    </attribdef>
    <attribdef name="mtl_Kdiff" toolonly="true">
        <memberkeyvalue path="" key="push(bits)-&gt;::mtl_param:common
+:0:w" />
        <desc>controls --&gt; mtl_param[0].w </desc>
        <type>EA.Reflection.Float</type>
        <bound>False</bound>
        <increment>0.001</increment>
        <properties platform="common">
            <max>2.0</max>
            <min>0.0</min>
            <defaultreflectedobject>1.0</defaultreflectedobject>
        </properties>
    </attribdef>    
     </attribclass>
</AttributeDatabase>

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I have no problem reading things in with XML-Simple 
    my $fh;
    open( $fh , "<", $arg{file}) or die;
    my $xml = XML::Simple->new(KeepRoot=>1) ;
    my $xml_data = $xml->XMLin($fh);

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I do stuff to it... and then go to write it out thus: 

    my $xml = XML::Simple->new(XMLDecl=>1,KeepRoot=>1) ;
    my $xml_data = $xml->XMLout($arg{data});

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but no matter which options I try with XML-Simple I can't reconstruct the same XML output as input. The closest I have come is: 

<?xml version='1.0' standalone='yes'?>
<AttributeDatabase>
  <attribclass>
    <attribdef>
      <name>mtl_Kdiff</name>
      <bound>False</bound>
      <desc>controls --&gt; mtl_param[0].w </desc>
      <increment>0.001</increment>
      <memberkeyvalue>
        <key>push(bits)-&gt;::mtl_param:common:0:w</key>
        <path></path>
      </memberkeyvalue>
      <properties>
        <defaultreflectedobject>1.0</defaultreflectedobject>
        <max>2.0</max>
        <min>0.0</min>
        <platform>common</platform>
      </properties>
      <toolonly>true</toolonly>
      <type>EA.Reflection.Float</type>
    </attribdef>
    <attribdef>
      <name>mtl_param</name>
      <array>true</array>
      <bound>True</bound>
      <desc>IsSynthetic</desc>
      <properties>
        <maxcount>2</maxcount>
        <mincount>2</mincount>
        <platform>common</platform>
      </properties>
      <synthetic>true</synthetic>
      <type>Attrib.Types.Vector4</type>
    </attribdef>
    <dbvault>true</dbvault>
    <editlist>
      <name>default</name>
      <entry>*</entry>
    </editlist>
    <hidden>false</hidden>
    <preferrededitlist>&quot;default&quot;</preferrededitlist>
    <toolonly>false</toolonly>
  </attribclass>
</AttributeDatabase>

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Notice how the embedded element attributes in the attribclass and attribdef tags drop out. and my quotes(") become &quot; or drop out altogether... Does anyone know how to keep some attributes from dropping out of element tags and others let go? I am afraid I am gonna have to write out each element as I traverse the data structure so that can control the output of XMLout(). Anyone got any advice? Your humble DTD Destroyer, jmm

In reply to XML gurus unite!! by jmmistrot

Title:
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