Скачать или смотреть How to Print Attribute Values from XML Using xmlstarlet

Learn how to effectively extract attribute values from XML files using xmlstarlet. This post provides a clear explanation and example of retrieving data with this powerful command-line tool.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/63909681/ asked by the user 'rodee' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/2748513/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/63909780/ provided by the user 'larsks' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/147356/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: How to print the attribute value from xml using xmlstarlet?

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
How to Print Attribute Values from XML Using xmlstarlet

XML files are commonly used for data storage and transfer, but they can be tricky to navigate if you only want specific pieces of information. If you've ever found yourself needing to extract a particular attribute from an XML file, you're in luck! In this guide, we will walk you through how to use xmlstarlet to simply list attribute values from your XML files.

The Challenge: Extracting Specific Data from XML

Let’s imagine you have an XML structure similar to this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

In this example, you want to extract the name attributes of parts, which will result in the output:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

However, you might find yourself struggling to get just the names, even after trying commands that print the entire parts elements.

The Solution: Using xmlstarlet

To solve this problem, you can use the command-line tool xmlstarlet. This powerful utility allows you to select specific parts of XML documents with ease. Here’s the command you need to execute to get your desired output:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Breakdown of the Command:

xmlstarlet: This is the command for invoking the xmlstarlet tool.

sel: Stands for 'select'. It allows you to select nodes from the XML document.

-t: Triggers template mode, which allows you to define what to select and how to output it.

-v: Stands for 'value', which specifies that you want the value of what’s selected.

'/root/target/parts/@ name': This XPath expression navigates through the XML structure to select the name attribute of the parts element.

foo.xml: This is the name of your XML file. Make sure to replace this with the actual name of your file.

What Happens Next

Once you run the above command, xmlstarlet will process your XML file and return the names of the parts:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

And just like that, you've extracted the specific attribute values that you needed without cluttering your output with unnecessary data!

Conclusion

Using xmlstarlet is a straightforward way to manipulate and extract information from XML files. With just a simple command, you can filter out exactly what you need. Next time you face a similar challenge of extracting specific attributes, remember this handy tool to simplify your workflow.

Feel free to explore more about xmlstarlet and its extensive capabilities as it can offer powerful XML transformations and queries right from your terminal!