use strict;
use XML::XPath;

my $xml = '<SuperItem>
 <UserID>1234</UserID>
 <MajorItems>
  <MinorItem>
   <Item>Box</Item>
  </MinorItem>
 </MajorItems>
 <MajorItems>
  <MinorItem>
   <Item>Suitcase</Item>
  </MinorItem>
 </MajorItems>
</SuperItem>
';

my $xp = XML::XPath->new( xml => $xml );

my $path = '/SuperItem/MajorItems[2]/MinorItem';

print $xp->findnodes_as_string($path);
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<MinorItem>
   <Item>Suitcase</Item>
</MinorItem>
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Actually there are several XPath expressions which would give the same result, such as //MajorItems[2]/MinorItem or /SuperItem[UserID='1234']/MajorItems[2]/MinorItem. It will all depend on the actual content and structure of your XML.

Update: Changed XML::Xpath to XML::XPath. thx PipTigger!

I think that should've been XML::XPath ... which I inherited from for my XML::Tidy module. You might try:

#!/usr/bin/perl
use strict; use warnings; use XML::XPath;
my $xpob = XML::XPath->new('xml' => '<SuperItem>
  <UserID>1234</UserID>
  <MajorItems>
    <MinorItem>
      <Item>Box</Item>
    </MinorItem>
  </MajorItems>
  <MajorItems>
    <MinorItem>
      <Item>Suitcase</Item>
    </MinorItem>
  </MajorItems>
</SuperItem>');
my    @itmz = $xpob->findnodes('//Item');    # retn nodez in doc ordr
print $itmz[1]->getChildNode(1)->getValue(); # XPath indices are 1-bas
+ed
# ... so the abov line takes the 2nd <Item /> elem (Bcuz Perl is 0-bas
+ed)
# && traverses down to its 1st child-node (this time no more nested el
+emz
# but just a TextNode as the only child) to print that value: "Suitcas
+e"
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XPath is good shit. Just today, I used it in a COLLADA file with: '//node[@type="JOINT"]' to give me all the elements that describe animation bones for a Wii game I'm working on. Tim sure is Toady. ;) Have fun!

-Pip@CPAN.Org
PipForPresident.Org

use Data::Dumper qw(Dumper);

my $data = XMLin($xml);

print Dumper($data);
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Here is the output on data dumper:

$VAR1 = {'UserID' => ['1234'],
         'MajorItems' => 
              [{'MinorItem' => [{'Item'=>['Box']}]},
               {'MinorItem' => [{'Item' =>['Suitcase']}]}]
        };
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My attempts to access the single item have still failed. :(

My attempts to access the single item have still failed. :(

Fear not, my good monk, for perldsc, perlref, perlreftut are with you. Just drill down one level at a time.

use strict;
use warnings;

use Data::Dumper;
use XML::Simple;

my $xml = q{
            <SuperItem>
             <UserID>1234</UserID>
             <MajorItems>
              <MinorItem>
               <Item>Box</Item>
              </MinorItem>
             </MajorItems>
             <MajorItems>
              <MinorItem>
               <Item>Suitcase</Item>
              </MinorItem>
             </MajorItems>
            </SuperItem>
            };

my $struct = XMLin( $xml, ForceArray => 1 );
dumpit( $struct );

my $MajorItems_aref = $struct->{MajorItems};
dumpit( $MajorItems_aref );

my $SecondMinorItem_href = $struct->{MajorItems}[1];
# or $MajorItems_aref->[1]
dumpit( $SecondMinorItem_href );

my $MinorItem_aref = $struct->{MajorItems}[1]{MinorItem};
# or $SecondMinorItem_href->{MinorItem}
dumpit( $MinorItem_aref );

my $MinorItemFirst_href = $struct->{MajorItems}[1]{MinorItem}[0];
# or $MinorItem_aref->[0]
dumpit( $MinorItemFirst_href );

my $Item_aref = $struct->{MajorItems}[1]{MinorItem}[0]{Item};
# or $MinorItemFirst_href->{Item}
dumpit( $Item_aref );

my $luggage = $struct->{MajorItems}[1]{MinorItem}[0]{Item}[0];
# or $Item_aref->[0]
dumpit( $luggage );

sub dumpit
{
    print Dumper( $_[0] );
}
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Execute the below code, you will get the 2nd minor item item value. See if you see the $output reference you can see the entire data structure output for the corresponding xml. From the data structure you can get whatever it necessary. Basically, ForceArray will each and every tag in array format based on the hirearchy. If you create this xml in xml file and if we see the '+' symbol hirearchy in the same format it will parse as a array and it will display.

#!/usr/local/bin/perl

use strict;
use warnings;
use XML::Simple;

my $xml = qq{<SuperItem>
 <UserID>1234</UserID>
 <MajorItems>
  <MinorItem>
   <Item>Box</Item>
  </MinorItem>
 </MajorItems>
 <MajorItems>
  <MinorItem>
   <Item>Suitcase</Item>
  </MinorItem>
 </MajorItems>
</SuperItem>};

use XML::Simple qw/:strict/;
use Data::Dumper;

my $xml_simple = XML::Simple->new(KeyAttr => 1, KeepRoot => 1, ForceAr
+ray => 1);
my $output = $xml_simple->XMLin($xml);
print "\nEntire xml..", Dumper($output);

print "\n2nd Minor item..", $output->{'SuperItem'}[0]{'MajorItems'}[1]
+{'MinorItem'}[0]{'Item'}[0];
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