Thanks monks.

I thought is best to start simple and build up.
So firstly, before getting onto attributes and order let's just try to get the parser loading in KML!

I am using this <kml> (thanks Fletch): 

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><kml xmlns='http://earth.google.
+com/kml/2.0'>
 <Document>
 <open>0</open>
<name>Gazetteer for Scotland: Settlements</name>
<Placemark>
    <name><![CDATA[ Hermits and Termits ]]></name>
    <!--   <Snippet>  </Snippet>  -->
    <styleUrl>#SGStyle</styleUrl>
    <description><![CDATA[A small harled five-bay mansion lying gable-
+on to St Leonard's Street in S Central Edinburgh, Hermits and Termits
+ was built in 1734 for William Clifton, a Solicitor of Excise. It too
+k its name from the poetic-slang for a pair of crofts, <i>Hermitis</i
+> and <i>Terraris</i>, which can be traced back to at least the 15th 
+century and were associated with the St Leonard's Almshouses.

Hermits and Termits was restored in 1982, an early project by local ar
+chitect Ben Tindall, to form his own residence. The interior is panel
+led and the staircase features a fine mahogany balustrade.
<p><a href="http://getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getamap/frames.htm?map
+Action=zoomabs&mapX=326472&mapY=672772&zoomLevel=6&isGeo=y">SHOW OS M
+AP</a>,</p>
    <p><a href="http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/
            features/featurefirst16994.html"//]]></description>
    <LookAt>
      <longitude>-3.17876</longitude>
      <latitude>55.94218</latitude>
      <range>2000</range>
      <tilt>75</tilt>
      <heading>0</heading>
    </LookAt>
    <Point id="g16994">
      <coordinates>-3.17876,55.94218,0</coordinates>
    </Point>
    <extra xmlns:gml="http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/gml">
        <Point id="g16994" srsName="EPSG27700">
            <pos>326472,672772</pos>
        </Point>
        <typea>House, Mansion or Palace</typea>
        <typeb>Historic Building</typeb>
        <typec></typec>
    </extra>
    <Link>http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/features/featurefirst16994.h
+tml
    </Link>
</Placemark>
<Placemark>
    <name><![CDATA[ Queen's Drive ]]></name>
    <!--   <Snippet>  </Snippet>  -->
    <styleUrl>#SGStyle</styleUrl>
    <description><![CDATA[A road which largely encircles the hills wit
+hin Edinburgh's Holyrood Park, the Queen's Drive is known as one of t
+he finest carriage drives in Europe. From its lowest point to the eas
+t of Palace of Holyroodhouse, the road rises sharply onto the eastern
+ and southern flanks of Arthur's Seat (251m / 823 feet). The higher p
+ortions give spectacular views over the city.
<p><a href="http://getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getamap/frames.htm?map
+Action=zoomabs&mapX=326643&mapY=672943&zoomLevel=6&isGeo=y">SHOW OS M
+AP</a>,</p>
    <p><a href="http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/
            features/featurefirst8976.html"//]]></description>
    <LookAt>
      <longitude>-3.17606</longitude>
      <latitude>55.94367</latitude>
      <range>2000</range>
      <tilt>75</tilt>
      <heading>0</heading>
    </LookAt>
    <Point id="g8976">
      <coordinates>-3.17606,55.94367,0</coordinates>
    </Point>
    <extra xmlns:gml="http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/gml">
        <Point id="g8976" srsName="EPSG27700">
            <pos>326643,672943</pos>
        </Point>
        <typea>Road or Street</typea>
        <typeb></typeb>
        <typec></typec>
    </extra>
    <Link>http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/features/featurefirst8976.ht
+ml
    </Link>
</Placemark>
<Placemark>
    <name><![CDATA[ Queen's Hall, The ]]></name>
    <!--   <Snippet>  </Snippet>  -->
    <styleUrl>#SGStyle</styleUrl>
    <description><![CDATA[Located on the west side of Clerk Street, in
+ the Newington District of Edinburgh, the Queen's Hall represents the
+ principal venue on the south-side of the city for concerts. Built in
+ 1823 as the Hope Park Chapel of Ease, the building has a two-storey 
+villa frontage, with a tall and slender classical steeple. Latterly t
+he Newington and St. Leonard's Church, it was converted into a concer
+t hall in 1979, and opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the 850
+-seat auditorium still strongly reflects its ecclesiastical origins, 
+although the pulpit has been replaced by an early 19th Century chambe
+r organ. Painted 18th Century panels displaying the Commandments and 
+the Lord's Prayer, which were brought from the former Buccleuch Paris
+h Church in 1950, can be seen on the stairs.

Noted particularly for its baroque and classical music concerts, the H
+all is home to the world-class Scottish Chamber Orchestra, but also o
+ffers a programme of jazz, folk and contemporary music, in addition t
+o theatre, comedy and opera as well as acting as an important venue f
+or the Edinburgh International Festival.
<p><a href="http://getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getamap/frames.htm?map
+Action=zoomabs&mapX=326298&mapY=672698&zoomLevel=6&isGeo=y">SHOW OS M
+AP</a>,</p>
    <p><a href="http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/
            features/featurefirst7848.html"//]]></description>
    <LookAt>
      <longitude>-3.18151</longitude>
      <latitude>55.94126</latitude>
      <range>2000</range>
      <tilt>75</tilt>
      <heading>0</heading>
    </LookAt>
    <Point id="g7848">
      <coordinates>-3.18151,55.94126,0</coordinates>
    </Point>
    <extra xmlns:gml="http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/gml">
        <Point id="g7848" srsName="EPSG27700">
            <pos>326298,672698</pos>
        </Point>
        <typea>Entertainment Venue</typea>
        <typeb>Historic Building</typeb>
        <typec></typec>
    </extra>
    <Link>http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/features/featurefirst7848.ht
+ml
    </Link>
</Placemark>
<Placemark>
    <name><![CDATA[ St Leonard's ]]></name>
    <!--   <Snippet> Saint Leonard's </Snippet>  -->
    <styleUrl>#SGStyle</styleUrl>
    <description><![CDATA[A small district of S Central Edinburgh, St 
+Leonard's lies a mile (1.5 km) south southeast of the city centre. Th
+e area represented land granted to Holyrood Abbey by King David I (c.
+1080 - 1153), and while once being much larger, today is constrained 
+between Holyrood Park Road in the south and Dumbiedykes and the Pleas
+ance in the north. Once associated with brewing, St. Leonard's Statio
+n was also the terminus of the Innocent Railway. St Leonard's School 
+(1879) is now converted into private flats. The Police Headquarters f
+or Central Edinburgh ('A' Division) is located in the modern St. Leon
+ard's Police Station.
<p><a href="http://getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getamap/frames.htm?map
+Action=zoomabs&mapX=326400&mapY=672800&zoomLevel=6&isGeo=y">SHOW OS M
+AP</a>,</p>
    <p><a href="http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/
            features/featurefirst7865.html"//]]></description>
    <LookAt>
      <longitude>-3.17992</longitude>
      <latitude>55.94259</latitude>
      <range>2000</range>
      <tilt>75</tilt>
      <heading>0</heading>
    </LookAt>
    <Point id="g7865">
      <coordinates>-3.17992,55.94259,0</coordinates>
    </Point>
    <extra xmlns:gml="http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/gml">
        <Point id="g7865" srsName="EPSG27700">
            <pos>326400,672800</pos>
        </Point>
        <typea>Urban District</typea>
        <typeb></typeb>
        <typec></typec>
    </extra>
    <Link>http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/features/featurefirst7865.ht
+ml
    </Link>
</Placemark>
<ExtendedData xmlns:GforS="http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/">
     <GforS:Copyright>
        <![CDATA[ <p>All Images and Text are Copyright (c) The Gazette
+er for Scotland 1995-2008 </p>]]>
     </GforS:Copyright>
</ExtendedData>
</Document>
</kml>

[download]
which has been generated from a perl script here:.

The script I am using to parse the KML is: 

#!/usr/bin/perl
use strict;
use warnings;
use XML::Simple;
use Data::Dumper;
use LWP::Simple;
use XML::Parser;

my $url= "http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/cgi_bin/mid/cygnus/scotgaz1.
+5.pl";

my $foo = get ($url) or die "I can't get the feed you want";
my $xml = XML::Simple->new( );
my $parse =$xml->XMLin($foo);

while (my ($key, $val) = each %{$parse->{Placemark}})
    {
        printf "%s is at %s\n", $key,  $val->{Point}{coordinates};
    }

[download]
This script works when I remove the <kml> tages from the <kml> and so I think that it is due to something with XML::Simple where the first ankle brackets are removed automatically. When I run the script in debug mode the $foo contains the URL and the $parse contains the corect hash.
The value I ask is not brought back though and I am failing to see why! After this works I will then go onto the look at forceArray (which I have had some success with in the past and the other XML::Simple problems....... one small step at a time though!

Many thanks for the helpful explanations
niall

In reply to Re^2: Using KML in XML::Simple by carterniall
in thread Using KML in XML::Simple by carterniall

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