in reply to XML::Simple and Adding Nested Elements

Hello all, Looking for help adding additional nested elements to my data structure for eventual output with XML:Simple. Here are the significant portions of my code:
use XML::Simple;
my $xs = XML::Simple->new( ForceArray => 1, KeepRoot => 1, NoAttr => 1
+, KeyAttr => [] );
my $data = { 'Things' => { 'Thing' => [] } };

...

push @{ $data->{Things}->{Thing} },
    {
    'Item' => $var1,
    'Number' => $var2,
    'Details' => {
            'Detail' => {
                    'Color' => $var3
                        }
             },
    };

...

push @{ $data->{Things}->{Thing} },
    {
    'AdditionalInfo' => {
        'Info' => $var4,
        'Stuff' => $var5,
        'MoreDetails' => {
                'ExtraColor' => $var6
                 }
        }
    };

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I'd like to add one or more chunks of 'additional info' as needed. I'd like my resulting XML to look like this: 
<Things>
    <Thing>
        <Item>Item1</Item>
        <Number>123</Number>
        <Details>
            <Detail>
                <Color>Blue</Color>
            </Detail>
        </Details>
        <AdditionalInfo>
            <Info>data</Info>
            <Stuff>moredata</Stuff>
            <MoreDetails>
                <ExtraColor>Purple</ExtraColor>
            </MoreDetails>
        </AdditionalInfo>
    </Thing>
</Things>

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How can I add a hash of additional infomation to a specific Item? When I run the code above the 'AdditionInfo' hash gets appended to the end of the data structure, which makes sense. How do I add data deeper than the initial data structure declaration?
Thanks for any insight provided. I've already read perldata, BTW...

Rob

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Re: XML::Simple and Adding Additional Nested Elements
by psini (Deacon) on May 23, 2008 at 08:52 UTC

    Obviously you can do this:

    push @{ $data->{Things}->{Thing} },
    {
    'Item' => $var1,
    'Number' => $var2,
    'Details' => {
            'Detail' => {
                    'Color' => $var3
                        }
             },
    'AdditionalInfo' => {
        'Info' => $var4,
        'Stuff' => $var5,
        'MoreDetails' => {
                'ExtraColor' => $var6
                 }
        }
    };

    [download]

    But probably it is not what you really want. If the real question is "How can I dinamically build the structure that will generate my XML?", the answer is not so simple (aka, I can't make it for you :)):

    The right path to enlightment is to understand how complex data structures work in perl (your example id a HoHoHoHoH, not the very simplest) so you can handle them in a better way

    As an example, the following code probably do what you expect:

    $struc={
        'Item' => $var1,
        'Number' => $var2,
        'Details' => {
                      'Detail' => {
                                   'Color' => $var3
                                  }
                     }
       }
$struc->{AdditionalInfo}={
                          'Info' => $var4,
                          'Stuff' => $var5,
                          'MoreDetails' => {
                                            'ExtraColor' => $var6
                                           }
                         };
push @{ $data->{Things}->{Thing} },$struc;

    [download]

    Not sure, I can't try it now

    Rule One: Do not act incautiously when confronting a little bald wrinkly smiling man.

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[d/l]
[select]
      Thank you. That's a good idea. One last question. How would I find a specific Item? I was thinking along these lines: 
      if ($data{Things}{Thing}{Item} = "aValue") {
...

      [download]
[reply]
[d/l]

        That code will not work because your structure is an array of reference.;/p>

        You can do if ($data[0]->{Things}->{Thing}->{Item} == "aValue")

        I strongly suggest you see Data Structures in the Q&A section of the monastery.

        Rule One: Do not act incautiously when confronting a little bald wrinkly smiling man.

[reply]
[d/l]
        if ($data{Things}{Thing}{Item} = "aValue") {

        That would most likely not do what you want as it assigns "aValue" to the respective hash entry... :) — remember: eq is for string comparison.

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[d/l]
[select]

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