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Select-Xml NameSpace

ComputerHabit 861 Reputation points
2023-04-03T19:51:32.9566667+00:00

I'm trying to use the XML output from group policy to export all settings to a CSV file. I can get about 60% there. I've noticed the XML file seems to be all over the place when it comes to a pattern.

I am trying to learn how to use Select-XML and I am failing to understand what a NameSpace is. I don't understand at all. I keep reading and I don't get it. I keep seeing 'it's a hash'... A hash of WHAT!??? How do I get one? How do I make one?

Like I said I'm wanting to export all setting from a group policy into a csv. I'm being humbled by the whatever a NameSpace is and what it means to Select-XML and using Xpath...

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  1. Rich Matheisen 45,906 Reputation points
    2023-04-03T21:19:29.0633333+00:00

    In their simplest form namespaces allow you to distinguish between two (or more) identically named elements. I.e., they're used as a qualifying prefix. So, if you use the element, say "table" in one element describing a table of data, and "table" in another element describing a piece of furniture, you'd get a confusing mixture of unrelated elements if you searched only for elements named "table". If you used two namespaces, one named "data" and the other named "furniture" you could search for elements named "data:table" of "furniture:table" and get homogenous results. A pretty simple set of examples can be found here: https://www.w3schools.com/XML/xml_namespaces.asp

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