As alternative to XML::XPath, try XML::LibXML (XML::LibXML::XPathContext).

back to your problem, try this (not tested): 
my $xp = XML::XPath->new(filename=>$file);
my $nodelist = $xp->find ('//w/a');

my %map;

while (my $node = $nodelist->shift) {
  my $key = join ':',
     $node->getParentNode->getAttribute ('id'),
     $node->getAttribute ('name')
  ;

  push @{ $map{$key} }, $node;
}

for my $n (1 .. 32812) {
  my @wns = @{ $map{$n . ':' . 'wn'} || []);
  my @ls = @{ $map{$n . ':' . 'l'} || []);
}

[download]

In reply to Re: large XML file in using XPATH by happy.barney
in thread large XML file in using XPATH by Anonymous Monk

Title:
Use:  <p> text here (a paragraph) </p>
and:  <code> code here </code>
to format your post, it's "PerlMonks-approved HTML":


  • Posts are HTML formatted. Put <p> </p> tags around your paragraphs. Put <code> </code> tags around your code and data!
  • Titles consisting of a single word are discouraged, and in most cases are disallowed outright.
  • Read Where should I post X? if you're not absolutely sure you're posting in the right place.
  • Please read these before you post! —
  • Posts may use any of the Perl Monks Approved HTML tags:
    a, abbr, b, big, blockquote, br, caption, center, col, colgroup, dd, del, details, div, dl, dt, em, font, h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, hr, i, ins, li, ol, p, pre, readmore, small, span, spoiler, strike, strong, sub, summary, sup, table, tbody, td, tfoot, th, thead, tr, tt, u, ul, wbr
  • You may need to use entities for some characters, as follows. (Exception: Within code tags, you can put the characters literally.)
            For:     Use:
    & &amp;
    < &lt;
    > &gt;
    [ &#91;
    ] &#93;
  • Link using PerlMonks shortcuts! What shortcuts can I use for linking?
  • See Writeup Formatting Tips and other pages linked from there for more info.