xml simple not a hash reference

Noverast has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

I can loop through each roomtype but if a roomtype has more that one mealtype I get this error: The ForceArray option is enabled. Please Help!

gives me this error message / faulty output:

Not a HASH reference
[download]

This is the dump from the XML that is begin returned to me:

$VAR1 = {
          'success' => 'true',
          'data' => {
                    'bb' => {
                            'roomtypes' => {
                                           'roomtype' => [
                                                         {
                                                           'rtimage' =
+> '10002-2.jpg',
                                                           'ratescheme
+' => '1',
                                                           'rtid' => '
+2',
                                                           'roomsfree'
+ => '2',
                                                           'childpolic
+y' => {
                                                                      
+      'general' => '2 - 12 years stay',
                                                                      
+      'allowchild2' => 'Y',
                                                                      
+      'allowchild1' => 'Y'
                                                                      
+    },
                                                           'mealtypes'
+ => {
                                                                      
+    'mealtype' => [
                                                                      
+                  {
                                                                      
+                    'defaultmealtype' => 'true',
                                                                      
+                    'rates' => {
                                                                      
+                               'pax3' => '1180.00',
                                                                      
+                               'pax2' => '930.00',
                                                                      
+                               'pax4' => '1405.00',
                                                                      
+                               'pax1' => '550.00'
                                                                      
+                             },
                                                                      
+                    'mealtypedesc' => 'Bed & Breakfast',
                                                                      
+                    'rateid' => '6'
                                                                      
+                  },
                                                                      
+                  {
                                                                      
+                    'rates' => {
                                                                      
+                               'pax3' => '850.00',
                                                                      
+                               'pax2' => '700.00',
                                                                      
+                               'pax4' => '975.00',
                                                                      
+                               'pax1' => '450.00'
                                                                      
+                             },
                                                                      
+                    'mealtypedesc' => 'Self-catering',
                                                                      
+                    'rateid' => '7'
                                                                      
+                  }
                                                                      
+                ]
                                                                      
+  },
                                                           'maxoccupan
+cy' => '6',
                                                           'minlos' =>
+ '0',

                                                         },
                                                         {
                                                           'ratescheme
+' => '1',
                                                           'rtid' => '
+1',
                                                           'roomsfree'
+ => '5',
                                                           'descriptio
+n' => 'Double bed',
                                                           'childpolic
+y' => {
                                                                      
+      'general' => '2 - 12 years stay',
                                                                      
+      'allowchild2' => 'Y',
                                                                      
+      'allowchild1' => 'Y'
                                                                      
+    },
                                                           'mealtypes'
+ => {
                                                                      
+    'mealtype' => {
                                                                      
+                  'defaultmealtype' => 'true',
                                                                      
+                  'rates' => {
                                                                      
+                             'pax2' => '800.00',
                                                                      
+                             'pax1' => '500.00'
                                                                      
+                           },
                                                                      
+                  'mealtypedesc' => 'B&B',
                                                                      
+                  'rateid' => '5'
                                                                      
+                }
                                                                      
+  },
                                                           'maxoccupan
+cy' => '2',
                                                           'minlos' =>
+ '0',
                                                         }
                                                       ]
                                         },
                          },
                    'nights' => '1',
                    'enddate' => '2011-01-24',
                    'startdate' => '2011-01-23'
                  }
        };
[download]

Comment on xml simple not a hash reference Select or Download Code

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Re: xml simple not a hash reference by Anonyrnous Monk (Hermit) on Dec 28, 2010 at 11:29 UTC
I think it would help if you could show the code that produces the error. The data alone (what you've shown) doesn't produce any error messages. diagnostics says `$ echo "Not a HASH reference" \| splain Not a HASH reference (#1) (F) Perl was trying to evaluate a reference to a hash value, but f +ound a reference to something else instead. You can use the ref() functi +on to find out what kind of ref it really was. See perlref.` [download]	[reply] [d/l]
Re: xml simple not a hash reference by roboticus (Chancellor) on Dec 28, 2010 at 13:17 UTC
Noverast: If you look a bit more closely at your data, you'll notice that data/bb/roomtypes/roomtype is an arrayref holding a hashref. So I'd suspect that your code is trying to do something like: `$hrXml->{data}{bb}{roomtypes}{roomtype}{$aKey};` [download] instead of: `$hrXml->{data}{bb}{roomtypes}{roomtype}[$anIndex]{$aKey};` [download] Note: I've seen a couple other array references in your data too, but I only mentioned the first one. So your error may be coming from one of the others. Also, if you're going to post a chunk of data like that, you should indent your data using less whitespace to make it a bit more readable. I've heard about XML::Simple having an option (ForceArray) to force certain keys to always use an array reference. I believe (having never used it) that it'll use an array reference if the key has multiple sub-values and a hash reference if the key has only one. That can make your code a little tricky. But if you use ForceArray for the keys that may change on you, then your code can be simplified. (Anyway, that's what I gather from several posts. I'm sure someone will correct me if I misunderstood.) ...roboticus When your only tool is a hammer, all problems look like your thumb.	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^2: xml simple not a hash reference by Noverast (Initiate) on Dec 28, 2010 at 13:50 UTC
Thank you for the responses. This is my code: `my $results = $res->content; $xml = new XML::Simple (KeyAttr => [],suppressempty => 1,ForceArray => + ['roomtype']); $data = $xml->XMLin("$results"); foreach $e (@{$data->{data}->{bb}->{roomtypes}->{roomtype}}){ $roomtypename=$e->{roomtypename}; $rateid=$e->{mealtypes}->{mealtype}->{rateid}; }` [download] I only receive the error when trying to get the value of rateid for the mealtype, if it is more than one, and I don't know how to loop through the mealtypes	[reply] [d/l]
Re^3: xml simple not a hash reference by Anonyrnous Monk (Hermit) on Dec 28, 2010 at 15:00 UTC
I don't know how to loop through the mealtypes The same way you're looping through the roomtypes: `for my $mealtype ( @{$e->{mealtypes}->{mealtype}} ) { $rateid = $mealtype->{rateid}; }` [download] but don't forget to apply `ForceArray` to `mealtype`, too; or check with ref if `$e->{mealtypes}->{mealtype}` is an array reference, and only loop in that case (otherwise, you'd get an error if there's only one mealtype entry, in which case XML::Simple (without `ForceArray` in effect) would not create an extra array...)	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^4: xml simple not a hash reference by Noverast (Initiate) on Dec 29, 2010 at 07:40 UTC
Re^5: xml simple not a hash reference by morgon (Priest) on Dec 29, 2010 at 07:51 UTC
Some notes below your chosen depth have not been shown here
Re^4: xml simple not a hash reference by Noverast (Initiate) on Dec 29, 2010 at 08:09 UTC
Re^4: xml simple not a hash reference by Noverast (Initiate) on Dec 29, 2010 at 08:27 UTC
Re^4: xml simple not a hash reference by Anonymous Monk on Dec 29, 2010 at 06:22 UTC
Re: xml simple not a hash reference by Jenda (Abbot) on Dec 29, 2010 at 14:06 UTC
Looks to me like it's time to start tweaking the datastructure as it's being built to get something both consistent and easier to handle. See Simpler than XML::Simple. Jenda Enoch was right! Enjoy the last years of Rome.	[reply]