Edit

XmlDocument Class

  • Reference

Definition

Namespace:
System.Xml
Assemblies:
System.Xml.dll, System.Xml.XmlDocument.dll
Assembly:
System.Xml.ReaderWriter.dll
Assembly:
System.Xml.XmlDocument.dll
Assembly:
System.Xml.dll
Assembly:
netstandard.dll

Represents an XML document. You can use this class to load, validate, edit, add, and position XML in a document.

public ref class XmlDocument : System::Xml::XmlNode
public class XmlDocument : System.Xml.XmlNode
type XmlDocument = class
    inherit XmlNode
Public Class XmlDocument
Inherits XmlNode
Inheritance
Object
XmlNode
XmlDocument
Derived

Remarks

The XmlDocument class is an in-memory representation of an XML document. It implements the W3C XML Document Object Model (DOM) Level 1 Core and the Core DOM Level 2.

DOM stands for document object model. To read more about it, see XML Document Object Model (DOM).

You can load XML into the DOM by using the XmlDocument class, and then programmatically read, modify, and remove XML in the document.

If you want to pry open the XmlDocument class and see how it's implemented, see the Reference Source.

Tasks

Load XML into the document object model

Start with an XML document like this one that has a few books in a collection. It contains the basic things that you'd find in any XML document, including a namespace, elements that represent data, and attributes that describe the data.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>  
<books xmlns="http://www.contoso.com/books">  
  <book genre="novel" ISBN="1-861001-57-8" publicationdate="1823-01-28">  
    <title>Pride And Prejudice</title>  
    <price>24.95</price>  
  </book>  
  <book genre="novel" ISBN="1-861002-30-1" publicationdate="1985-01-01">  
    <title>The Handmaid's Tale</title>  
    <price>29.95</price>  
  </book>  
  <book genre="novel" ISBN="1-861001-45-3" publicationdate="1811-01-01">  
    <title>Sense and Sensibility</title>  
    <price>19.95</price>  
  </book>  
</books>

Next, load this data into the DOM so that you can work with it in memory. The most popular way to do this is refer to a file on your local computer or on a network.

This example loads XML from a file. If the file doesn't exist, it just generates some XML and loads that.

XmlDocument ^doc = gcnew XmlDocument();
doc->PreserveWhitespace = true;
try
{doc->Load("booksData.xml");}
catch (System::IO::FileNotFoundException ^e1)
{
    // If no book is found, generate some XML.

    doc->LoadXml("<?xml version=\"1.0\"?> \n" +
    "<books xmlns=\"http://www.contoso.com/books\"> \n" +
    "  <book genre=\"novel\" ISBN=\"1-861001-57-8\" publicationdate=\"1823-01-28\"> \n" +
    "    <title>Pride And Prejudice</title> \n" +
    "    <price>24.95</price> \n" +
    "  </book> \n" +
    "  <book genre=\"novel\" ISBN=\"1-861002-30-1\" publicationdate=\"1985-01-01\"> \n" +
    "    <title>The Handmaid's Tale</title> \n" +
    "    <price>29.95</price> \n" +
    "  </book> \n" +
    "</books>");
}

XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
doc.PreserveWhitespace = true;
try { doc.Load("booksData.xml"); }
catch (System.IO.FileNotFoundException)
{
    doc.LoadXml("<?xml version=\"1.0\"?> \n" +
    "<books xmlns=\"http://www.contoso.com/books\"> \n" +
    "  <book genre=\"novel\" ISBN=\"1-861001-57-8\" publicationdate=\"1823-01-28\"> \n" +
    "    <title>Pride And Prejudice</title> \n" +
    "    <price>24.95</price> \n" +
    "  </book> \n" +
    "  <book genre=\"novel\" ISBN=\"1-861002-30-1\" publicationdate=\"1985-01-01\"> \n" +
    "    <title>The Handmaid's Tale</title> \n" +
    "    <price>29.95</price> \n" +
    "  </book> \n" +
    "</books>");
}

Dim doc As XmlDocument = New XmlDocument
doc.PreserveWhitespace = True
Try
    doc.Load("booksData.xml")
Catch ex As System.IO.FileNotFoundException
    ' If no file is found, generate some XML.
    doc.LoadXml("<?xml version=""1.0""?> " & ControlChars.NewLine & _
        "<books xmlns=""http://www.contoso.com/books""> " & ControlChars.NewLine & _
        "  <book genre=""novel"" ISBN=""1-861001-57-8"" publicationdate=""1823-01-28""> " & ControlChars.NewLine & _
        "    <title>Pride And Prejudice</title> " & ControlChars.NewLine & _
        "    <price>24.95</price> " & ControlChars.NewLine & _
        "  </book> " & ControlChars.NewLine & _
        "  <book genre=""novel"" ISBN=""1-861002-30-1"" publicationdate=""1985-01-01""> " & ControlChars.NewLine & _
        "    <title>The Handmaid's Tale</title> " & ControlChars.NewLine & _
        "    <price>29.95</price> " & ControlChars.NewLine & _
        "  </book> " & ControlChars.NewLine & _
        "</books>")
End Try

Learn more: Reading an XML Document into the DOM

Validate it against a schema

Start with an XML schema like this one. This schema defines the data types in the XML and which attributes are required.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>  
<xs:schema xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"  
  attributeFormDefault="unqualified"   
  elementFormDefault="qualified"  
  targetNamespace="http://www.contoso.com/books">   
  <xs:element name="books">  
    <xs:complexType>  
      <xs:sequence>  
        <xs:element maxOccurs="unbounded" name="book">  
          <xs:complexType>  
            <xs:sequence>  
              <xs:element name="title" type="xs:string" />  
              <xs:element name="price" type="xs:decimal" />  
            </xs:sequence>  
            <xs:attribute name="genre" type="xs:string" use="required" />  
            <xs:attribute name="ISBN" type="xs:string" use="required" />  
            <xs:attribute name="publicationdate" type="xs:date" use="required" />  
          </xs:complexType>  
        </xs:element>  
      </xs:sequence>  
    </xs:complexType>  
  </xs:element>  
</xs:schema>

Create an XmlReader object by using your schema, and then load that object into the DOM. Create an event handler that executes when code attempts to modify your XML file in ways that violate the rules of the schema.

These blocks of code show helper methods that do all of this.

//************************************************************************************
//
//  Associate the schema with XML. Then, load the XML and validate it against
//  the schema.
//
//************************************************************************************

XmlDocument ^XMLDOMProcessing::XMLHelperMethods::LoadDocumentWithSchemaValidation(bool generateXML, bool generateSchema)
{
    XmlReader ^reader;

    XmlReaderSettings ^settings = gcnew XmlReaderSettings();

    // Helper method to retrieve schema.
    XmlSchema ^schema = getSchema(generateSchema);
    
    if (schema == nullptr)
    {
        return nullptr;
    }

    settings->Schemas->Add(schema);
    settings->ValidationEventHandler +=
        gcnew System::Xml::Schema::ValidationEventHandler
        (this, &XMLDOMProcessing::XMLHelperMethods::OnValidationEventHandler);
    settings->ValidationFlags = settings->ValidationFlags | XmlSchemaValidationFlags::ReportValidationWarnings;
    settings->ValidationType = ValidationType::Schema;

    try
    {
        reader = XmlReader::Create("booksData.xml", settings);
    }
    catch (System::IO::FileNotFoundException ^e1)
    {
        if (generateXML)
        {
            String ^xml = generateXMLString();
            array<Byte> ^byteArray = Encoding::UTF8->GetBytes(xml);
            MemoryStream ^stream = gcnew MemoryStream(byteArray);
            reader = XmlReader::Create(stream, settings);
        }
        else
        {
            return nullptr;
        }

    }

    XmlDocument ^doc = gcnew XmlDocument();
    doc->PreserveWhitespace = true;
    doc->Load(reader);
    reader->Close();

    return doc;
}

//************************************************************************************
//
//  Helper method that generates an XML Schema.
//
//************************************************************************************

String ^XMLDOMProcessing::XMLHelperMethods::generateXMLSchema()
{
    String ^xmlSchema = "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\"?> " + 
        "<xs:schema attributeFormDefault=\"unqualified\" " + 
        "elementFormDefault=\"qualified\" targetNamespace=\"http://www.contoso.com/books\" " + 
        "xmlns:xs=\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema\"> " + "<xs:element name=\"books\"> " + 
        "<xs:complexType> " + "<xs:sequence> " + "<xs:element maxOccurs=\"unbounded\" name=\"book\"> " + 
        "<xs:complexType> " + "<xs:sequence> " + "<xs:element name=\"title\" type=\"xs:string\" /> " + 
        "<xs:element name=\"price\" type=\"xs:decimal\" /> " + "</xs:sequence> " + 
        "<xs:attribute name=\"genre\" type=\"xs:string\" use=\"required\" /> " + 
        "<xs:attribute name=\"publicationdate\" type=\"xs:date\" use=\"required\" /> " + 
        "<xs:attribute name=\"ISBN\" type=\"xs:string\" use=\"required\" /> " + "</xs:complexType> " + 
        "</xs:element> " + "</xs:sequence> " + "</xs:complexType> " + "</xs:element> " + "</xs:schema> ";
    
    return xmlSchema;
}

//************************************************************************************
//
//  Helper method that gets a schema
//
//************************************************************************************

XmlSchema ^XMLDOMProcessing::XMLHelperMethods::getSchema(bool generateSchema)
{
    XmlSchemaSet ^xs = gcnew XmlSchemaSet();
    XmlSchema ^schema;
    try
    {
        schema = xs->Add("http://www.contoso.com/books", "booksData.xsd");
    }
    catch (System::IO::FileNotFoundException ^e1)
    {
        if (generateSchema)
        {
            String ^xmlSchemaString = generateXMLSchema();
            array<Byte> ^byteArray = Encoding::UTF8->GetBytes(xmlSchemaString);
            MemoryStream ^stream = gcnew MemoryStream(byteArray);
            XmlReader ^reader = XmlReader::Create(stream);
            schema = xs->Add("http://www.contoso.com/books", reader);
        }
        else
        {
            return nullptr;
        }

    }
    return schema;
}
//************************************************************************************
//
//  Helper method to validate the XML against the schema.
//
//************************************************************************************
bool XMLDOMProcessing::XMLHelperMethods::validateXML(bool generateSchema, XmlDocument ^doc)
{
    if (doc->Schemas->Count == 0)
    {
        // Helper method to retrieve schema.
        XmlSchema ^schema = getSchema(generateSchema);
        doc->Schemas->Add(schema);
    }

    ValidationEventHandler^ eventHandler = gcnew System::Xml::Schema::ValidationEventHandler
        (this, &XMLDOMProcessing::XMLHelperMethods::OnValidationEventHandler);

    // Use an event handler to validate the XML node against the schema.
    doc->Validate(eventHandler);

    if (_IsValid == false)
    {
        _IsValid = true;
        return false;
    }
    else
    {
        return true;
    }

}
//************************************************************************************
//
//  Event handler that is raised when XML doesn't validate against the schema.
//
//************************************************************************************

void XMLDOMProcessing::XMLHelperMethods::OnValidationEventHandler(System::Object ^sender, System::Xml::Schema::ValidationEventArgs ^e)
{
    if (e->Severity == XmlSeverityType::Warning)
    {
        // do nothing.
    }
    else if (e->Severity == XmlSeverityType::Error)
    {
        // set some global variables.
        _IsValid = false;
        ValidationError = e->Message;
    }
}

//************************************************************************************
//
//  Helper method that generates an XML string.
//
//************************************************************************************
private string generateXMLString()
{
    string xml = "<?xml version=\"1.0\"?> \n" +
        "<books xmlns=\"http://www.contoso.com/books\"> \n" +
        "  <book genre=\"novel\" ISBN=\"1-861001-57-8\" publicationdate=\"1823-01-28\"> \n" +
        "    <title>Pride And Prejudice</title> \n" +
        "    <price>24.95</price> \n" +
        "  </book> \n" +
        "  <book genre=\"novel\" ISBN=\"1-861002-30-1\" publicationdate=\"1985-01-01\"> \n" +
        "    <title>The Handmaid's Tale</title> \n" +
        "    <price>29.95</price> \n" +
        "  </book> \n" +
        "  <book genre=\"novel\" ISBN=\"1-861001-45-3\" publicationdate=\"1811-01-01\"> \n" +
        "    <title>Sense and Sensibility</title> \n" +
        "    <price>19.95</price> \n" +
        "  </book> \n" +
        "</books>";
    return xml;
}

//************************************************************************************
//
//  Associate the schema with XML. Then, load the XML and validate it against
//  the schema.
//
//************************************************************************************
public XmlDocument LoadDocumentWithSchemaValidation(bool generateXML, bool generateSchema)
{
    XmlReader reader = null;
    XmlReaderSettings settings = new XmlReaderSettings();
    // Helper method to retrieve schema.
    XmlSchema schema = getSchema(generateSchema);

    settings.Schemas.Add(schema);
    settings.ValidationEventHandler += ValidationCallback;
    settings.ValidationFlags =
        settings.ValidationFlags | XmlSchemaValidationFlags.ReportValidationWarnings;
    settings.ValidationType = ValidationType.Schema;
    if (!generateXML)
    {
        try
        {
            reader = XmlReader.Create("booksData.xml", settings);
        }
        catch (FileNotFoundException ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(
                $"XML file not found so generating: {ex.Message}");
            generateXML = true;
        }
    }

    if (generateXML)
    {
        string xml = generateXMLString();
        StringReader stringReader = new StringReader(xml);

        reader = XmlReader.Create(stringReader, settings);
    }

    XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();

    doc.PreserveWhitespace = true;
    doc.Load(reader);
    reader.Close();

    return doc;
}

//************************************************************************************
//
//  Helper method that generates an XML Schema.
//
//************************************************************************************
private string generateXMLSchema()
{
    string xmlSchema =
        "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\"?> " +
        "<xs:schema attributeFormDefault=\"unqualified\" " +
        "elementFormDefault=\"qualified\" targetNamespace=\"http://www.contoso.com/books\" " +
        "xmlns:xs=\"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema\"> " +
        "<xs:element name=\"books\"> " +
        "<xs:complexType> " +
        "<xs:sequence> " +
        "<xs:element maxOccurs=\"unbounded\" name=\"book\"> " +
        "<xs:complexType> " +
        "<xs:sequence> " +
        "<xs:element name=\"title\" type=\"xs:string\" /> " +
        "<xs:element name=\"price\" type=\"xs:decimal\" /> " +
        "</xs:sequence> " +
        "<xs:attribute name=\"genre\" type=\"xs:string\" use=\"required\" /> " +
        "<xs:attribute name=\"publicationdate\" type=\"xs:date\" use=\"required\" /> " +
        "<xs:attribute name=\"ISBN\" type=\"xs:string\" use=\"required\" /> " +
        "</xs:complexType> " +
        "</xs:element> " +
        "</xs:sequence> " +
        "</xs:complexType> " +
        "</xs:element> " +
        "</xs:schema> ";
    return xmlSchema;
}

//************************************************************************************
//
//  Helper method that gets a schema
//
//************************************************************************************
private XmlSchema getSchema(bool generateSchema)
{
    XmlSchemaSet xs = new XmlSchemaSet();
    XmlSchema schema = null;

    if (!generateSchema)
    {
        try
        {
            schema = xs.Add("http://www.contoso.com/books", "booksData.xsd");
        }
        catch (FileNotFoundException ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(
                $"XSD file not found so generating: {ex.Message}");
            generateSchema = true;
        }
    }

    if (generateSchema)
    {
        string xmlSchemaString = generateXMLSchema();
        StringReader stringReader = new StringReader(xmlSchemaString);
        XmlReader reader = XmlReader.Create(stringReader);

        schema = xs.Add("http://www.contoso.com/books", reader);
    }

    return schema;
}

//************************************************************************************
//
//  Helper method to validate the XML against the schema.
//
//************************************************************************************
private void validateXML(bool generateSchema, XmlDocument doc)
{
    if (doc.Schemas.Count == 0)
    {
        // Helper method to retrieve schema.
        XmlSchema schema = getSchema(generateSchema);
        doc.Schemas.Add(schema);
    }

    // Use a callback to validate the XML node against the schema.
    doc.Validate(ValidationCallback);
}

//************************************************************************************
//
//  Event handler that is raised when XML doesn't validate against the schema.
//
//************************************************************************************
void ValidationCallback(object sender,
    System.Xml.Schema.ValidationEventArgs e)
{
    if (e.Severity == XmlSeverityType.Warning)
    {
        Console.WriteLine
            ("The following validation warning occurred: " + e.Message);
    }
    else if (e.Severity == XmlSeverityType.Error)
    {
        Console.WriteLine
            ("The following critical validation errors occurred: " + e.Message);
    }
}

'************************************************************************************
'
'  Associate the schema with XML. Then, load the XML and validate it against
'  the schema.
'
'************************************************************************************
Public Function LoadDocumentWithSchemaValidation(ByVal generateXML As Boolean, ByVal generateSchema As Boolean) As XmlDocument
    Dim reader As XmlReader
    Dim settings As XmlReaderSettings = New XmlReaderSettings
    ' Helper method to retrieve schema.
    Dim schema As XmlSchema = getSchema(generateSchema)
    If (schema Is Nothing) Then
        Return Nothing
    End If
    settings.Schemas.Add(schema)
    AddHandler settings.ValidationEventHandler, AddressOf settings_ValidationEventHandler
    settings.ValidationFlags = (settings.ValidationFlags Or XmlSchemaValidationFlags.ReportValidationWarnings)
    settings.ValidationType = ValidationType.Schema
    Try
        reader = XmlReader.Create("booksData.xml", settings)
    Catch ex As System.IO.FileNotFoundException
        If generateXML Then
            Dim xml As String = generateXMLString()
            Dim byteArray() As Byte = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(xml)
            Dim stream As MemoryStream = New MemoryStream(byteArray)
            reader = XmlReader.Create(stream, settings)
        Else
            Return Nothing
        End If
    End Try
    Dim doc As XmlDocument = New XmlDocument
    doc.PreserveWhitespace = True
    doc.Load(reader)
    reader.Close()
    Return doc
End Function

'************************************************************************************
'
'  Helper method that generates an XML Schema.
'
'************************************************************************************
Private Function generateXMLSchema() As String

    Dim generatedXmlSchema As String = "<?xml version=""1.0"" encoding=""utf-8""?> " & _
            "<xs:schema attributeFormDefault=""unqualified"" " & _
            "elementFormDefault=""qualified"" targetNamespace=""http://www.contoso.com/books"" " & _
            "xmlns:xs=""http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema""> " & _
            "<xs:element name=""books""> " & _
            "<xs:complexType> " & _
            "<xs:sequence> " & _
            "<xs:element maxOccurs=""unbounded"" name=""book""> " & _
            "<xs:complexType> " & _
            "<xs:sequence> " & _
            "<xs:element name=""title"" type=""xs:string"" /> " & _
            "<xs:element name=""price"" type=""xs:decimal"" /> " & _
            "</xs:sequence> " & _
            "<xs:attribute name=""genre"" type=""xs:string"" use=""required"" /> " & _
            "<xs:attribute name=""publicationdate"" type=""xs:date"" use=""required"" /> " & _
            "<xs:attribute name=""ISBN"" type=""xs:string"" use=""required"" /> " & _
            "</xs:complexType> " & _
            "</xs:element> " & _
            "</xs:sequence> " & _
            "</xs:complexType> " & _
            "</xs:element> " & _
            "</xs:schema> "


    Return generatedXmlSchema

End Function

'************************************************************************************
'
'  Helper method that gets a schema
'
'************************************************************************************
Private Function getSchema(ByVal generateSchema As Boolean) As XmlSchema
    Dim xs As XmlSchemaSet = New XmlSchemaSet
    Dim schema As XmlSchema
    Try
        schema = xs.Add("http://www.contoso.com/books", "booksData.xsd")
    Catch ex As System.IO.FileNotFoundException
        If generateSchema Then
            Dim xmlSchemaString As String = generateXMLSchema()
            Dim byteArray() As Byte = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(xmlSchemaString)
            Dim stream As MemoryStream = New MemoryStream(byteArray)
            Dim reader As XmlReader = XmlReader.Create(stream)
            schema = xs.Add("http://www.contoso.com/books", reader)
        Else
            Return Nothing
        End If
    End Try
    Return schema
End Function

'************************************************************************************
'
'  Helper method to validate the XML against the schema.
'
'************************************************************************************
Private Sub validateXML(ByVal generateSchema As Boolean, ByVal doc As XmlDocument)
    If (doc.Schemas.Count = 0) Then
        ' Helper method to retrieve schema.
        Dim schema As XmlSchema = getSchema(generateSchema)
        doc.Schemas.Add(schema)
    End If
    ' Use an event handler to validate the XML node against the schema.
    doc.Validate(AddressOf settings_ValidationEventHandler)
End Sub

'************************************************************************************
'
'  Event handler that is raised when XML doesn't validate against the schema.
'
'************************************************************************************
Private Sub settings_ValidationEventHandler(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.Xml.Schema.ValidationEventArgs)
    If (e.Severity = XmlSeverityType.Warning) Then
        System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show(("The following validation warning occurred: " & e.Message))
    ElseIf (e.Severity = XmlSeverityType.Error) Then
        System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show(("The following critical validation errors occurred: " & e.Message))
        Dim objectType As Type = sender.GetType
    End If
End Sub

Learn more: Validating an XML Document in the DOM

You can use properties to navigate around an XML document. But before you use any of them, let's quickly review a few terms. Your document is composed of nodes. Each node has as single parent node directly above it. The only node that does not have a parent node is the document root, as it is the top-level node. Most nodes can have child nodes, which are nodes directly below them. Nodes that are at the same level are siblings.

The following examples show you how to obtain the root node, jump to the first child node of the root node, access any of its child nodes, get back out to the parent node, and then navigate across sibling nodes.

Start with the root node

This example gets the root node and then uses that node to output the contents of the document to the console.

#using <System.Xml.dll>

using namespace System;
using namespace System::IO;
using namespace System::Xml;
int main()
{
   
   //Create the XmlDocument.
   XmlDocument^ doc = gcnew XmlDocument;
   doc->LoadXml( "<?xml version='1.0' ?><book genre='novel' ISBN='1-861001-57-5'><title>Pride And Prejudice</title></book>" );
   
   //Display the document element.
   Console::WriteLine( doc->DocumentElement->OuterXml );
}


using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Xml;

public class Sample
{
  public static void Main()
  {
    //Create the XmlDocument.
    XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
    doc.LoadXml("<?xml version='1.0' ?>" +
                "<book genre='novel' ISBN='1-861001-57-5'>" +
                "<title>Pride And Prejudice</title>" +
                "</book>");

    //Display the document element.
    Console.WriteLine(doc.DocumentElement.OuterXml);
 }
}

Option Strict
Option Explicit

Imports System.IO
Imports System.Xml

Public Class Sample
    
    Public Shared Sub Main()
        'Create the XmlDocument.
        Dim doc As New XmlDocument()
        doc.LoadXml("<?xml version='1.0' ?>" & _
                    "<book genre='novel' ISBN='1-861001-57-5'>" & _
                    "<title>Pride And Prejudice</title>" & _
                    "</book>")
        
        'Display the document element.
        Console.WriteLine(doc.DocumentElement.OuterXml)
    End Sub
End Class

Get child nodes

This example jumps to the first child node of the root node and then iterates through the child nodes of that node if any exist.

#using <System.Xml.dll>

using namespace System;
using namespace System::IO;
using namespace System::Xml;

int main()
{
   XmlDocument^ doc = gcnew XmlDocument;
   doc->LoadXml( "<book ISBN='1-861001-57-5'>"
   "<title>Pride And Prejudice</title>"
   "<price>19.95</price>"
   "</book>" );
   XmlNode^ root = doc->FirstChild;
   
   //Display the contents of the child nodes.
   if ( root->HasChildNodes )
   {
      for ( int i = 0; i < root->ChildNodes->Count; i++ )
      {
         Console::WriteLine( root->ChildNodes[ i ]->InnerText );
      }
   }
}

using System;
using System.Xml;

public class Sample2
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
        doc.LoadXml("<book ISBN='1-861001-57-5'>" +
                    "<title>Pride And Prejudice</title>" +
                    "<price>19.95</price>" +
                    "</book>");

        XmlNode root = doc.FirstChild;

        //Display the contents of the child nodes.
        if (root.HasChildNodes)
        {
            for (int i = 0; i < root.ChildNodes.Count; i++)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(root.ChildNodes[i].InnerText);
            }
        }
    }
}

Option Strict
Option Explicit

Imports System.IO
Imports System.Xml

Public Class Sample
    
    Public Shared Sub Main()
        
        Dim doc As New XmlDocument()
        doc.LoadXml("<book ISBN='1-861001-57-5'>" & _
                    "<title>Pride And Prejudice</title>" & _
                    "<price>19.95</price>" & _
                    "</book>")
        
        Dim root As XmlNode = doc.FirstChild
        
        'Display the contents of the child nodes.
        If root.HasChildNodes Then
            Dim i As Integer
            For i = 0 To root.ChildNodes.Count - 1
                Console.WriteLine(root.ChildNodes(i).InnerText)
            Next i
        End If
    End Sub
End Class

Get back to the parent node

Use the ParentNode property.

Refer to the last child node

This example writes the price of a book to the console. The price node is the last child of a book node.

#using <System.Xml.dll>

using namespace System;
using namespace System::IO;
using namespace System::Xml;
int main()
{
   XmlDocument^ doc = gcnew XmlDocument;
   doc->LoadXml( "<book ISBN='1-861001-57-5'>"
   "<title>Pride And Prejudice</title>"
   "<price>19.95</price>"
   "</book>" );
   XmlNode^ root = doc->FirstChild;
   Console::WriteLine( "Display the price element..." );
   Console::WriteLine( root->LastChild->OuterXml );
}


using System;
using System.Xml;

public class Sample3
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
        doc.LoadXml("<book ISBN='1-861001-57-5'>" +
                    "<title>Pride And Prejudice</title>" +
                    "<price>19.95</price>" +
                    "</book>");

        XmlNode root = doc.FirstChild;

        Console.WriteLine("Display the price element...");
        Console.WriteLine(root.LastChild.OuterXml);
    }
}

Option Explicit
Option Strict

Imports System.IO
Imports System.Xml

Public Class Sample
    
    Public Shared Sub Main()
        
        Dim doc As New XmlDocument()
        doc.LoadXml("<book ISBN='1-861001-57-5'>" & _
                    "<title>Pride And Prejudice</title>" & _
                    "<price>19.95</price>" & _
                    "</book>")
        
        Dim root As XmlNode = doc.FirstChild
        
        Console.WriteLine("Display the price element...")
        Console.WriteLine(root.LastChild.OuterXml)
    End Sub
End Class

Navigate forward across siblings

This example moves forward from book to book. Book nodes are siblings to one another.

#using <System.Xml.dll>

using namespace System;
using namespace System::Xml;
int main()
{
   XmlDocument^ doc = gcnew XmlDocument;
   doc->Load( "books.xml" );
   XmlNode^ currNode = doc->DocumentElement->FirstChild;
   Console::WriteLine( "First book..." );
   Console::WriteLine( currNode->OuterXml );
   XmlNode^ nextNode = currNode->NextSibling;
   Console::WriteLine( "\r\nSecond book..." );
   Console::WriteLine( nextNode->OuterXml );
}


using System;
using System.Xml;

public class Sample4
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
        doc.Load("books.xml");

        XmlNode currNode = doc.DocumentElement.FirstChild;
        Console.WriteLine("First book...");
        Console.WriteLine(currNode.OuterXml);

        XmlNode nextNode = currNode.NextSibling;
        Console.WriteLine("\r\nSecond book...");
        Console.WriteLine(nextNode.OuterXml);
    }
}

Imports System.Xml
 
public class Sample 

  public shared sub Main() 

      Dim doc as XmlDocument = new XmlDocument()
      doc.Load("books.xml")

      Dim currNode as XmlNode = doc.DocumentElement.FirstChild
      Console.WriteLine("First book...")
      Console.WriteLine(currNode.OuterXml)

      Dim nextNode as XmlNode = currNode.NextSibling
      Console.WriteLine(ControlChars.LF + "Second book...")
      Console.WriteLine(nextNode.OuterXml) 

  end sub
end class

Navigate backwards across siblings

This example moves backwards from book to book.

#using <System.Xml.dll>

using namespace System;
using namespace System::Xml;
int main()
{
   XmlDocument^ doc = gcnew XmlDocument;
   doc->Load( "books.xml" );
   XmlNode^ lastNode = doc->DocumentElement->LastChild;
   Console::WriteLine( "Last book..." );
   Console::WriteLine( lastNode->OuterXml );
   XmlNode^ prevNode = lastNode->PreviousSibling;
   Console::WriteLine( "\r\nPrevious book..." );
   Console::WriteLine( prevNode->OuterXml );
}


using System;
using System.Xml;

public class Sample {

  public static void Main() {

      XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
      doc.Load("books.xml");

      XmlNode lastNode = doc.DocumentElement.LastChild;
      Console.WriteLine("Last book...");
      Console.WriteLine(lastNode.OuterXml);

      XmlNode prevNode = lastNode.PreviousSibling;
      Console.WriteLine("\r\nPrevious book...");
      Console.WriteLine(prevNode.OuterXml);
  }
}

Imports System.Xml

public class Sample 

  public shared sub Main() 

      Dim doc as XmlDocument = new XmlDocument()
      doc.Load("books.xml")

      Dim lastNode as XmlNode = doc.DocumentElement.LastChild
      Console.WriteLine("Last book...")
      Console.WriteLine(lastNode.OuterXml)

      Dim prevNode as XmlNode = lastNode.PreviousSibling
      Console.WriteLine(ControlChars.LF + "Previous book...")
      Console.WriteLine(prevNode.OuterXml)  
  end sub
end class

Find nodes

The most popular way to find one or more nodes of data is to use an XPath query string, but there are also methods that don't require one.

Get a single node

This example locates a book by using the ISBN number.

XmlNode ^XMLDOMProcessing::XMLHelperMethods::GetBook(String ^uniqueAttribute, XmlDocument ^doc)
{
    XmlNamespaceManager ^nsmgr = gcnew XmlNamespaceManager(doc->NameTable);
    nsmgr->AddNamespace("bk", "http://www.contoso.com/books");
    String ^xPathString = "//bk:books/bk:book[@ISBN='" + uniqueAttribute + "']";
    XmlNode ^xmlNode = doc->DocumentElement->SelectSingleNode(xPathString, nsmgr);
    return xmlNode;
}

public XmlNode GetBook(string uniqueAttribute, XmlDocument doc)
{
    XmlNamespaceManager nsmgr = new XmlNamespaceManager(doc.NameTable);
    nsmgr.AddNamespace("bk", "http://www.contoso.com/books");
    string xPathString = "//bk:books/bk:book[@ISBN='" + uniqueAttribute + "']";
    XmlNode xmlNode = doc.DocumentElement.SelectSingleNode(xPathString, nsmgr);
   return xmlNode;
}

Public Function GetBook(ByVal uniqueAttribute As String, ByVal doc As XmlDocument) As XmlNode
    Dim nsmgr As XmlNamespaceManager = New XmlNamespaceManager(doc.NameTable)
    nsmgr.AddNamespace("bk", "http://www.contoso.com/books")
    Dim xPathString As String = ("//bk:books/bk:book[@ISBN='" _
                & (uniqueAttribute & "']"))
    Dim xmlNode As XmlNode = doc.DocumentElement.SelectSingleNode(xPathString, nsmgr)
    Return xmlNode
End Function

The string used in this example is an Xpath query. You can find more examples of them here: XPath examples.

You can also use the GetElementById to retrieve nodes. To use this approach, you'll have to define ID's in the document type definition declarations of your XML file.

After you get a node, you get the value of attributes or child nodes. This example does that with a book node.

void XMLDOMProcessing::XMLHelperMethods::GetBookInformation
(String ^%title, String ^%ISBN, String ^%publicationDate, String ^%price, String ^%genre, XmlNode ^book)
{
    XmlElement ^bookElement = safe_cast<XmlElement^>(book);

    // Get the attributes of a book.        
    XmlAttribute ^attr = bookElement->GetAttributeNode("ISBN");
    ISBN = attr->InnerXml;

    attr = bookElement->GetAttributeNode("genre");
    genre = attr->InnerXml;

    attr = bookElement->GetAttributeNode("publicationdate");
    publicationDate = attr->InnerXml;

    // Get the values of child elements of a book.
    title = bookElement["title"]->InnerText;
    price = bookElement["price"]->InnerText;
}

public void GetBookInformation(ref string title, ref string ISBN, ref string publicationDate,
    ref string price, ref string genre, XmlNode book)
{
    XmlElement bookElement = (XmlElement)book;

    // Get the attributes of a book.
    XmlAttribute attr = bookElement.GetAttributeNode("ISBN");
    ISBN = attr.InnerXml;

    attr = bookElement.GetAttributeNode("genre");
    genre = attr.InnerXml;

    attr = bookElement.GetAttributeNode("publicationdate");
    publicationDate = attr.InnerXml;

    // Get the values of child elements of a book.
    title = bookElement["title"].InnerText;
    price = bookElement["price"].InnerText;
}

Public Sub GetBookInformation(ByRef title As String, ByRef ISBN As String, ByRef publicationDate As String, ByRef price As String, ByRef genre As String, ByVal book As XmlNode)
    Dim bookElement As XmlElement = CType(book, XmlElement)
    ' Get the attributes of a book.        
    Dim attr As XmlAttribute = bookElement.GetAttributeNode("ISBN")
    ISBN = attr.InnerXml
    attr = bookElement.GetAttributeNode("genre")
    genre = attr.InnerXml
    attr = bookElement.GetAttributeNode("publicationdate")
    publicationDate = attr.InnerXml
    ' Get the values of child elements of a book.
    title = bookElement("title").InnerText
    price = bookElement("price").InnerText
End Sub

Get a collection of nodes

This example selects all books where the author's last name is Austen, and then changes the price of those books.

#using <System.Xml.dll>

using namespace System;
using namespace System::IO;
using namespace System::Xml;
int main()
{
   XmlDocument^ doc = gcnew XmlDocument;
   doc->Load( "booksort.xml" );
   XmlNodeList^ nodeList;
   XmlNode^ root = doc->DocumentElement;
   nodeList = root->SelectNodes( "descendant::book[author/last-name='Austen']" );
   
   //Change the price on the books.
   System::Collections::IEnumerator^ myEnum = nodeList->GetEnumerator();
   while ( myEnum->MoveNext() )
   {
      XmlNode^ book = safe_cast<XmlNode^>(myEnum->Current);
      book->LastChild->InnerText = "15.95";
   }

   Console::WriteLine( "Display the modified XML document...." );
   doc->Save( Console::Out );
}


using System;
using System.Xml;

public class Sample6
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
        doc.Load("booksort.xml");

        XmlNodeList nodeList;
        XmlNode root = doc.DocumentElement;

        nodeList = root.SelectNodes("descendant::book[author/last-name='Austen']");

        //Change the price on the books.
        foreach (XmlNode book in nodeList)
        {
            book.LastChild.InnerText = "15.95";
        }

        Console.WriteLine("Display the modified XML document....");
        doc.Save(Console.Out);
    }
}

Imports System.IO
Imports System.Xml

public class Sample

  public shared sub Main()

    'Create the XmlDocument.
    Dim doc as XmlDocument = new XmlDocument()
    doc.Load("booksort.xml")
           
    Dim book as XmlNode
    Dim nodeList as XmlNodeList 
    Dim root as XmlNode = doc.DocumentElement

    nodeList=root.SelectNodes("descendant::book[author/last-name='Austen']")
 
    'Change the price on the books.
    for each book in nodeList      
      book.LastChild.InnerText="15.95"
    next 

    Console.WriteLine("Display the modified XML document....")
    doc.Save(Console.Out)
    
  end sub
end class

You can also get a collection of nodes by using the name of the node. For example, this example gets a collection of all book titles.

#using <System.Xml.dll>

using namespace System;
using namespace System::IO;
using namespace System::Xml;

int main()
{
   //Create the XmlDocument.
   XmlDocument^ doc = gcnew XmlDocument;
   doc->Load( "books.xml" );
   
   //Display all the book titles.
   XmlNodeList^ elemList = doc->GetElementsByTagName( "title" );
   for ( int i = 0; i < elemList->Count; i++ )
   {
      Console::WriteLine( elemList[ i ]->InnerXml );
   }
}

using System;
using System.Xml;

public class Sample1
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        //Create the XmlDocument.
        XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
        doc.Load("books.xml");

        //Display all the book titles.
        XmlNodeList elemList = doc.GetElementsByTagName("title");
        for (int i = 0; i < elemList.Count; i++)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(elemList[i].InnerXml);
        }
    }
}

Option Explicit
Option Strict

Imports System.IO
Imports System.Xml

Public Class Sample
    
    Public Shared Sub Main()
        'Create the XmlDocument.
        Dim doc As New XmlDocument()
        doc.Load("books.xml")
        
        'Display all the book titles.
        Dim elemList As XmlNodeList = doc.GetElementsByTagName("title")
        Dim i As Integer
        For i = 0 To elemList.Count - 1
            Console.WriteLine(elemList(i).InnerXml)
        Next i
    End Sub
End Class

Learn more: Select Nodes Using XPath Navigation

Edit nodes

This example edits a book node and its attributes.

bool XMLDOMProcessing::XMLHelperMethods::editBook(String ^title, String ^ISBN, String ^publicationDate, String ^genre, String ^price, XmlNode ^book, bool validateNode, bool generateSchema)
{

    XmlElement ^bookElement = safe_cast<XmlElement^>(book);

    // Get the attributes of a book.        
    bookElement->SetAttribute("ISBN", ISBN);
    bookElement->SetAttribute("genre", genre);
    bookElement->SetAttribute("publicationdate", publicationDate);

    // Get the values of child elements of a book.
    bookElement["title"]->InnerText = title;
    bookElement["price"]->InnerText = price;

    if (validateNode)
    {
        if (validateXML(generateSchema, bookElement->OwnerDocument))
        {
            return true;
        }
        else
        {
            return false;
        }
    }
    return true;
}

public void editBook(string title, string ISBN, string publicationDate,
    string genre, string price, XmlNode book, bool validateNode, bool generateSchema)
{

    XmlElement bookElement = (XmlElement)book;

    // Get the attributes of a book.
    bookElement.SetAttribute("ISBN", ISBN);
    bookElement.SetAttribute("genre", genre);
    bookElement.SetAttribute("publicationdate", publicationDate);

    // Get the values of child elements of a book.
    bookElement["title"].InnerText = title;
    bookElement["price"].InnerText = price;

    if (validateNode)
    {
        validateXML(generateSchema, bookElement.OwnerDocument);
    }
}

Public Sub editBook(ByVal title As String, ByVal ISBN As String,
                    ByVal publicationDate As String, ByVal genre As String,
                    ByVal price As String, ByVal book As XmlNode, ByVal validateNode As Boolean,
                    ByVal generateSchema As Boolean)

    Dim bookElement As XmlElement = CType(book, XmlElement)

    ' Get the attributes of a book.        
    bookElement.SetAttribute("ISBN", ISBN)
    bookElement.SetAttribute("genre", genre)
    bookElement.SetAttribute("publicationdate", publicationDate)

    ' Get the values of child elements of a book.
    bookElement("title").InnerText = title
    bookElement("price").InnerText = price
    If validateNode Then
        validateXML(generateSchema, bookElement.OwnerDocument)
    End If

End Sub

Learn more: Modifying Nodes, Content, and Values in an XML Document

Add nodes

To add a node, use the CreateElement method or the CreateNode method.

To add a data node such as a book, use the CreateElement method.

For any other type of node such as a comment, whitespace node, or CDATA node, use the CreateNode method.

This example creates a book node, adds attributes to that node, and then adds that node to the document.

XmlElement ^XMLDOMProcessing::XMLHelperMethods::AddNewBook(String ^genre, String ^ISBN, String ^misc, String ^title, String ^price, XmlDocument ^doc)
{
    // Create a new book element.
    XmlElement ^bookElement = doc->CreateElement("book", "http://www.contoso.com/books");

    // Create attributes for book and append them to the book element.
    XmlAttribute ^attribute = doc->CreateAttribute("genre");
    attribute->Value = genre;
    bookElement->Attributes->Append(attribute);

    attribute = doc->CreateAttribute("ISBN");
    attribute->Value = ISBN;
    bookElement->Attributes->Append(attribute);

    attribute = doc->CreateAttribute("publicationdate");
    attribute->Value = misc;
    bookElement->Attributes->Append(attribute);

    // Create and append a child element for the title of the book.
    XmlElement ^titleElement = doc->CreateElement("title");
    titleElement->InnerText = title;
    bookElement->AppendChild(titleElement);

    // Introduce a newline character so that XML is nicely formatted.
    bookElement->InnerXml = bookElement->InnerXml->Replace(titleElement->OuterXml, "\n    " + titleElement->OuterXml + " \n    ");

    // Create and append a child element for the price of the book.
    XmlElement ^priceElement = doc->CreateElement("price");
    priceElement->InnerText = price;
    bookElement->AppendChild(priceElement);

    // Introduce a newline character so that XML is nicely formatted.
    bookElement->InnerXml = bookElement->InnerXml->Replace(priceElement->OuterXml, priceElement->OuterXml + "   \n  ");

    return bookElement;

}

public XmlElement AddNewBook(string genre, string ISBN, string misc,
    string title, string price, XmlDocument doc)
{
    // Create a new book element.
    XmlElement bookElement = doc.CreateElement("book", "http://www.contoso.com/books");

    // Create attributes for book and append them to the book element.
    XmlAttribute attribute = doc.CreateAttribute("genre");
    attribute.Value = genre;
    bookElement.Attributes.Append(attribute);

    attribute = doc.CreateAttribute("ISBN");
    attribute.Value = ISBN;
    bookElement.Attributes.Append(attribute);

    attribute = doc.CreateAttribute("publicationdate");
    attribute.Value = misc;
    bookElement.Attributes.Append(attribute);

    // Create and append a child element for the title of the book.
    XmlElement titleElement = doc.CreateElement("title");
    titleElement.InnerText = title;
    bookElement.AppendChild(titleElement);

    // Introduce a newline character so that XML is nicely formatted.
    bookElement.InnerXml =
        bookElement.InnerXml.Replace(titleElement.OuterXml,
        "\n    " + titleElement.OuterXml + " \n    ");

    // Create and append a child element for the price of the book.
    XmlElement priceElement = doc.CreateElement("price");
    priceElement.InnerText= price;
    bookElement.AppendChild(priceElement);

    // Introduce a newline character so that XML is nicely formatted.
    bookElement.InnerXml =
        bookElement.InnerXml.Replace(priceElement.OuterXml, priceElement.OuterXml + "   \n  ");

    return bookElement;
}

Public Function AddNewBook(ByVal genre As String, ByVal ISBN As String, ByVal misc As String, ByVal title As String, ByVal price As String, ByVal doc As XmlDocument) As XmlElement
    ' Create a new book element.
    Dim bookElement As XmlElement = doc.CreateElement("book", "http://www.contoso.com/books")

    ' Create attributes for book and append them to the book element.
    Dim attribute As XmlAttribute = doc.CreateAttribute("genre")
    attribute.Value = genre
    bookElement.Attributes.Append(attribute)

    attribute = doc.CreateAttribute("ISBN")
    attribute.Value = ISBN
    bookElement.Attributes.Append(attribute)

    attribute = doc.CreateAttribute("publicationdate")
    attribute.Value = misc
    bookElement.Attributes.Append(attribute)

    ' Create and append a child element for the title of the book.
    Dim titleElement As XmlElement = doc.CreateElement("title")
    titleElement.InnerText = title
    bookElement.AppendChild(titleElement)

    ' Introduce a newline character so that XML is nicely formatted.
    bookElement.InnerXml = bookElement.InnerXml.Replace(titleElement.OuterXml, _
                           "\n   " & titleElement.OuterXml & " " & ControlChars.NewLine + "    ")
    ' Create and append a child element for the price of the book.
    Dim priceElement As XmlElement = doc.CreateElement("price")
    priceElement.InnerText = price
    bookElement.AppendChild(priceElement)

    ' Introduce a newline character so that XML is nicely formatted.
    bookElement.InnerXml = bookElement.InnerXml.Replace(priceElement.OuterXml,
                                                        (priceElement.OuterXml & "   " & ControlChars.NewLine & "  "))
    Return bookElement
End Function

Learn more: Inserting Nodes into an XML Document

Remove nodes

To remove a node, use the RemoveChild method.

This example removes a book from the document and any whitespace that appears just before the book node.

void XMLDOMProcessing::XMLHelperMethods::deleteBook(XmlNode ^book)
{
    XmlNode ^prevNode = book->PreviousSibling;

    book->OwnerDocument->DocumentElement->RemoveChild(book);


    if (prevNode->NodeType == XmlNodeType::Whitespace || prevNode->NodeType == XmlNodeType::SignificantWhitespace)
    {
        prevNode->OwnerDocument->DocumentElement->RemoveChild(prevNode);
    }
}

public void deleteBook(XmlNode book)
{
    XmlNode prevNode = book.PreviousSibling;

    book.OwnerDocument.DocumentElement.RemoveChild(book);

    if (prevNode.NodeType == XmlNodeType.Whitespace ||
        prevNode.NodeType == XmlNodeType.SignificantWhitespace)
    {
        prevNode.OwnerDocument.DocumentElement.RemoveChild(prevNode);
    }
}

Public Sub deleteBook(ByVal book As XmlNode)

    Dim prevNode As XmlNode = book.PreviousSibling
    book.OwnerDocument.DocumentElement.RemoveChild(book)

    If ((prevNode.NodeType = XmlNodeType.Whitespace) _
                OrElse (prevNode.NodeType = XmlNodeType.SignificantWhitespace)) Then
        prevNode.OwnerDocument.DocumentElement.RemoveChild(prevNode)

    End If
End Sub

Learn more: Removing Nodes, Content, and Values from an XML Document

Position nodes

You can choose where you want a node to appear in your document by using the InsertBefore and InsertAfter methods.

This example shows two helper methods. One of them moves a node higher in a list. The other one moves a node lower.

These methods could be used in an application that enables users to move books up and down in a list of books. When a user chooses a book and presses an up or down button, your code could call methods like these to position the corresponding book node before or after other book nodes.

//************************************************************************************
//
//  Summary: Move elements up in the XML.
//  
//
//************************************************************************************
void XMLDOMProcessing::XMLHelperMethods::MoveElementUp(XmlNode ^book)
{
    XmlNode ^previousNode = book->PreviousSibling;
    while (previousNode != nullptr && (previousNode->NodeType != XmlNodeType::Element))
    {
        previousNode = previousNode->PreviousSibling;
    }
    if (previousNode != nullptr)
    {
        XmlNode ^newLineNode = book->NextSibling;
        book->OwnerDocument->DocumentElement->RemoveChild(book);
        if (newLineNode->NodeType == XmlNodeType::Whitespace || newLineNode->NodeType == XmlNodeType::SignificantWhitespace)
        {
            newLineNode->OwnerDocument->DocumentElement->RemoveChild(newLineNode);
        }
        InsertBookElement(safe_cast<XmlElement^>(book), Constants::positionAbove, previousNode, false, false);
    }
}

//************************************************************************************
//
//  Summary: Move elements down in the XML.
//  
//
//************************************************************************************
void XMLDOMProcessing::XMLHelperMethods::MoveElementDown(XmlNode ^book)
{
    // Walk backwards until we find an element - ignore text nodes
    XmlNode ^NextNode = book->NextSibling;
    while (NextNode != nullptr && (NextNode->NodeType != XmlNodeType::Element))
    {
        NextNode = NextNode->NextSibling;
    }
    if (NextNode != nullptr)
    {
        XmlNode ^newLineNode = book->PreviousSibling;
        book->OwnerDocument->DocumentElement->RemoveChild(book);
        if (newLineNode->NodeType == XmlNodeType::Whitespace || newLineNode->NodeType == XmlNodeType::SignificantWhitespace)
        {
            newLineNode->OwnerDocument->DocumentElement->RemoveChild(newLineNode);
        }

        InsertBookElement(safe_cast<XmlElement^>(book), Constants::positionBelow, NextNode, false, false);
    }

}

//************************************************************************************
//
//  Summary: Move elements up in the XML.
//
//
//************************************************************************************

public void MoveElementUp(XmlNode book)
{
    XmlNode previousNode = book.PreviousSibling;
    while (previousNode != null && (previousNode.NodeType != XmlNodeType.Element))
    {
        previousNode = previousNode.PreviousSibling;
    }
    if (previousNode != null)
    {
        XmlNode newLineNode = book.NextSibling;
        book.OwnerDocument.DocumentElement.RemoveChild(book);
        if (newLineNode.NodeType == XmlNodeType.Whitespace |
            newLineNode.NodeType == XmlNodeType.SignificantWhitespace)
        {
            newLineNode.OwnerDocument.DocumentElement.RemoveChild(newLineNode);
        }
        InsertBookElement((XmlElement)book, Constants.positionAbove,
            previousNode, false, false);
    }
}

//************************************************************************************
//
//  Summary: Move elements down in the XML.
//
//
//************************************************************************************
public void MoveElementDown(XmlNode book)
{
    // Walk backwards until we find an element - ignore text nodes
    XmlNode NextNode = book.NextSibling;
    while (NextNode != null && (NextNode.NodeType != XmlNodeType.Element))
    {
        NextNode = NextNode.NextSibling;
    }
    if (NextNode != null)
    {
        XmlNode newLineNode = book.PreviousSibling;
        book.OwnerDocument.DocumentElement.RemoveChild(book);
        if (newLineNode.NodeType == XmlNodeType.Whitespace |
            newLineNode.NodeType == XmlNodeType.SignificantWhitespace)
        {
            newLineNode.OwnerDocument.DocumentElement.RemoveChild(newLineNode);
        }

        InsertBookElement((XmlElement)book, Constants.positionBelow,
            NextNode, false, false);
    }
}

'************************************************************************************
'
'  Summary: Move elements up in the XML.
'  
'
'************************************************************************************
Public Sub MoveElementUp(ByVal book As XmlNode)
    Dim previousNode As XmlNode = book.PreviousSibling

    While ((Not (previousNode) Is Nothing) _
                AndAlso (previousNode.NodeType <> XmlNodeType.Element))
        previousNode = previousNode.PreviousSibling

    End While
    If (Not (previousNode) Is Nothing) Then
        Dim newLineNode As XmlNode = book.NextSibling
        book.OwnerDocument.DocumentElement.RemoveChild(book)

        If ((newLineNode.NodeType = XmlNodeType.Whitespace) _
                    Or (newLineNode.NodeType = XmlNodeType.SignificantWhitespace)) Then
            newLineNode.OwnerDocument.DocumentElement.RemoveChild(newLineNode)
        End If

        InsertBookElement(CType(book, XmlElement), Constants.positionAbove,
                          previousNode, False, False)
    End If
End Sub

'************************************************************************************
'
'  Summary: Move elements down in the XML.
'  
'
'************************************************************************************
Public Sub MoveElementDown(ByVal book As XmlNode)
    ' Walk backwards until we find an element - ignore text nodes
    Dim NextNode As XmlNode = book.NextSibling

    While ((Not (NextNode) Is Nothing) _
                AndAlso (NextNode.NodeType <> XmlNodeType.Element))
        NextNode = NextNode.NextSibling

    End While

    If (Not (NextNode) Is Nothing) Then
        Dim newLineNode As XmlNode = book.PreviousSibling
        book.OwnerDocument.DocumentElement.RemoveChild(book)

        If ((newLineNode.NodeType = XmlNodeType.Whitespace) _
                    Or (newLineNode.NodeType = XmlNodeType.SignificantWhitespace)) Then
            newLineNode.OwnerDocument.DocumentElement.RemoveChild(newLineNode)
        End If

        InsertBookElement(CType(book, XmlElement), Constants.positionBelow,
                          NextNode, False, False)
    End If
End Sub

Constructors

XmlDocument()

Initializes a new instance of the XmlDocument class.
XmlDocument(XmlImplementation)

Initializes a new instance of the XmlDocument class with the specified XmlImplementation.
XmlDocument(XmlNameTable)

Initializes a new instance of the XmlDocument class with the specified XmlNameTable.

Properties

Attributes

Gets an XmlAttributeCollection containing the attributes of this node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
BaseURI

Gets the base URI of the current node.
ChildNodes

Gets all the child nodes of the node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
DocumentElement

Gets the root XmlElement for the document.
DocumentType

Gets the node containing the DOCTYPE declaration.
FirstChild

Gets the first child of the node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
HasChildNodes

Gets a value indicating whether this node has any child nodes.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
Implementation

Gets the XmlImplementation object for the current document.
InnerText

Throws an InvalidOperationException in all cases.
InnerText

Gets or sets the concatenated values of the node and all its child nodes.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
InnerXml

Gets or sets the markup representing the children of the current node.
IsReadOnly

Gets a value indicating whether the current node is read-only.
Item[String, String]

Gets the first child element with the specified LocalName and NamespaceURI.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
Item[String]

Gets the first child element with the specified Name.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
LastChild

Gets the last child of the node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
LocalName

Gets the local name of the node.
Name

Gets the qualified name of the node.
NamespaceURI

Gets the namespace URI of this node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
NameTable

Gets the XmlNameTable associated with this implementation.
NextSibling

Gets the node immediately following this node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
NodeType

Gets the type of the current node.
OuterXml

Gets the markup containing this node and all its child nodes.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
OwnerDocument

Gets the XmlDocument to which the current node belongs.
ParentNode

Gets the parent node of this node (for nodes that can have parents).
ParentNode

Gets the parent of this node (for nodes that can have parents).

(Inherited from XmlNode)
Prefix

Gets or sets the namespace prefix of this node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
PreserveWhitespace

Gets or sets a value indicating whether to preserve white space in element content.
PreviousSibling

Gets the node immediately preceding this node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
PreviousText

Gets the text node that immediately precedes this node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
SchemaInfo

Returns the Post-Schema-Validation-Infoset (PSVI) of the node.
SchemaInfo

Gets the post schema validation infoset that has been assigned to this node as a result of schema validation.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
Schemas

Gets or sets the XmlSchemaSet object associated with this XmlDocument.
Value

Gets or sets the value of the node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
XmlResolver

Sets the XmlResolver to use for resolving external resources.

Methods

AppendChild(XmlNode)

Adds the specified node to the end of the list of child nodes, of this node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
Clone()

Creates a duplicate of this node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
CloneNode(Boolean)

Creates a duplicate of this node.
CreateAttribute(String)

Creates an XmlAttribute with the specified Name.
CreateAttribute(String, String)

Creates an XmlAttribute with the specified qualified name and NamespaceURI.
CreateAttribute(String, String, String)

Creates an XmlAttribute with the specified Prefix, LocalName, and NamespaceURI.
CreateCDataSection(String)

Creates an XmlCDataSection containing the specified data.
CreateComment(String)

Creates an XmlComment containing the specified data.
CreateDefaultAttribute(String, String, String)

Creates a default attribute with the specified prefix, local name and namespace URI.
CreateDocumentFragment()

Creates an XmlDocumentFragment.
CreateDocumentType(String, String, String, String)

Returns a new XmlDocumentType object.
CreateElement(String)

Creates an element with the specified name.
CreateElement(String, String)

Creates an XmlElement with the qualified name and NamespaceURI.
CreateElement(String, String, String)

Creates an element with the specified Prefix, LocalName, and NamespaceURI.
CreateEntityReference(String)

Creates an XmlEntityReference with the specified name.
CreateNavigator()

Creates a new XPathNavigator object for navigating this document.
CreateNavigator()

Creates an XPathNavigator for navigating this object.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
CreateNavigator(XmlNode)

Creates an XPathNavigator object for navigating this document positioned on the XmlNode specified.
CreateNode(String, String, String)

Creates an XmlNode with the specified node type, Name, and NamespaceURI.
CreateNode(XmlNodeType, String, String)

Creates an XmlNode with the specified XmlNodeType, Name, and NamespaceURI.
CreateNode(XmlNodeType, String, String, String)

Creates a XmlNode with the specified XmlNodeType, Prefix, Name, and NamespaceURI.
CreateProcessingInstruction(String, String)

Creates an XmlProcessingInstruction with the specified name and data.
CreateSignificantWhitespace(String)

Creates an XmlSignificantWhitespace node.
CreateTextNode(String)

Creates an XmlText with the specified text.
CreateWhitespace(String)

Creates an XmlWhitespace node.
CreateXmlDeclaration(String, String, String)

Creates an XmlDeclaration node with the specified values.
Equals(Object)

Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object.

(Inherited from Object)
GetElementById(String)

Gets the XmlElement with the specified ID.
GetElementsByTagName(String)

Returns an XmlNodeList containing a list of all descendant elements that match the specified Name.
GetElementsByTagName(String, String)

Returns an XmlNodeList containing a list of all descendant elements that match the specified LocalName and NamespaceURI.
GetEnumerator()

Gets an enumerator that iterates through the child nodes in the current node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
GetHashCode()

Serves as the default hash function.

(Inherited from Object)
GetNamespaceOfPrefix(String)

Looks up the closest xmlns declaration for the given prefix that is in scope for the current node and returns the namespace URI in the declaration.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
GetPrefixOfNamespace(String)

Looks up the closest xmlns declaration for the given namespace URI that is in scope for the current node and returns the prefix defined in that declaration.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
GetType()

Gets the Type of the current instance.

(Inherited from Object)
ImportNode(XmlNode, Boolean)

Imports a node from another document to the current document.
InsertAfter(XmlNode, XmlNode)

Inserts the specified node immediately after the specified reference node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
InsertBefore(XmlNode, XmlNode)

Inserts the specified node immediately before the specified reference node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
Load(Stream)

Loads the XML document from the specified stream.
Load(String)

Loads the XML document from the specified URL.
Load(TextReader)

Loads the XML document from the specified TextReader.
Load(XmlReader)

Loads the XML document from the specified XmlReader.
LoadXml(String)

Loads the XML document from the specified string.
MemberwiseClone()

Creates a shallow copy of the current Object.

(Inherited from Object)
Normalize()

Puts all XmlText nodes in the full depth of the sub-tree underneath this XmlNode into a "normal" form where only markup (that is, tags, comments, processing instructions, CDATA sections, and entity references) separates XmlText nodes, that is, there are no adjacent XmlText nodes.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
PrependChild(XmlNode)

Adds the specified node to the beginning of the list of child nodes for this node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
ReadNode(XmlReader)

Creates an XmlNode object based on the information in the XmlReader. The reader must be positioned on a node or attribute.
RemoveAll()

Removes all the child nodes and/or attributes of the current node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
RemoveChild(XmlNode)

Removes specified child node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
ReplaceChild(XmlNode, XmlNode)

Replaces the child node oldChild with newChild node.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
Save(Stream)

Saves the XML document to the specified stream.
Save(String)

Saves the XML document to the specified file. If the specified file exists, this method overwrites it.
Save(TextWriter)

Saves the XML document to the specified TextWriter.
Save(XmlWriter)

Saves the XML document to the specified XmlWriter.
SelectNodes(String)

Selects a list of nodes matching the XPath expression.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
SelectNodes(String, XmlNamespaceManager)

Selects a list of nodes matching the XPath expression. Any prefixes found in the XPath expression are resolved using the supplied XmlNamespaceManager.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
SelectSingleNode(String)

Selects the first XmlNode that matches the XPath expression.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
SelectSingleNode(String, XmlNamespaceManager)

Selects the first XmlNode that matches the XPath expression. Any prefixes found in the XPath expression are resolved using the supplied XmlNamespaceManager.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
Supports(String, String)

Tests if the DOM implementation implements a specific feature.

(Inherited from XmlNode)
ToString()

Returns a string that represents the current object.

(Inherited from Object)
Validate(ValidationEventHandler)

Validates the XmlDocument against the XML Schema Definition Language (XSD) schemas contained in the Schemas property.
Validate(ValidationEventHandler, XmlNode)

Validates the XmlNode object specified against the XML Schema Definition Language (XSD) schemas in the Schemas property.
WriteContentTo(XmlWriter)

Saves all the children of the XmlDocument node to the specified XmlWriter.
WriteTo(XmlWriter)

Saves the XmlDocument node to the specified XmlWriter.

Events

NodeChanged

Occurs when the Value of a node belonging to this document has been changed.
NodeChanging

Occurs when the Value of a node belonging to this document is about to be changed.
NodeInserted

Occurs when a node belonging to this document has been inserted into another node.
NodeInserting

Occurs when a node belonging to this document is about to be inserted into another node.
NodeRemoved

Occurs when a node belonging to this document has been removed from its parent.
NodeRemoving

Occurs when a node belonging to this document is about to be removed from the document.

Explicit Interface Implementations

ICloneable.Clone()

For a description of this member, see Clone().

(Inherited from XmlNode)
IEnumerable.GetEnumerator()

For a description of this member, see GetEnumerator().

(Inherited from XmlNode)

Extension Methods

Cast<TResult>(IEnumerable)

Casts the elements of an IEnumerable to the specified type.
OfType<TResult>(IEnumerable)

Filters the elements of an IEnumerable based on a specified type.
AsParallel(IEnumerable)

Enables parallelization of a query.
AsQueryable(IEnumerable)

Converts an IEnumerable to an IQueryable.
CreateNavigator(XmlDocument)

Creates a new XPath navigator object for navigating the specified document.
CreateNavigator(XmlDocument, XmlNode)

Creates an XPath navigator object for navigating the specified document positioned on the specified node.
CreateNavigator(XmlNode)

Creates an XPath navigator for navigating the specified node.
SelectNodes(XmlNode, String)

Selects a list of nodes matching the specified XPath expression.
SelectNodes(XmlNode, String, XmlNamespaceManager)

Selects a list of nodes matching the specified XPath expression. Any prefixes found in the XPath expression are resolved using the supplied namespace manager.
SelectSingleNode(XmlNode, String)

Selects the first node that matches the XPath expression.
SelectSingleNode(XmlNode, String, XmlNamespaceManager)

Selects the first node that matches the XPath expression. Any prefixes found in the XPath expression are resolved using the supplied namespace manager.
ToXPathNavigable(XmlNode)

Creates an IXPathNavigable instance used for producing navigators.

Applies to

See also