On Fri, 3 Aug 2007 09:06:01 -0700, ML <ML@d...>
wrote:

>If you post a sample of your XML and expected results we can provide much 
>better help.

The XML was created by iTunes.   It probably isn't the easiest XML
file to learn with, but it is a useful one.

I copied 
C:\Documents and Settings\brazee\My Documents\My Music\iTunes\iTunes
Music Library.xml to "Copy of iTunes Music Library.xml", and edited it
down.

Someday I will want to include a way to get around the fact that I
added the stylesheet line by hand, as the original .xml file keeps
getting overwritten.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN"
"http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<?xml-stylesheet href="myiTunes.xsl" type="text/xsl"?>
<plist version="1.0">

<dict>
  <key>Major Version</key><integer>1</integer>
  <key>Minor Version</key><integer>1</integer>
  <key>Application Version</key><string>7.3.1</string>
  <key>Features</key><integer>1</integer>
  <key>Show Content Ratings</key><true/>
  <key>Music
Folder</key><string>file://localhost/C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/brazee/My%20Documents/My%20Music/iTunes/iTunes%20Music/</string>
  <key>Library Persistent ID</key><string>24C6C8A6E577E13C</string>
  <key>Tracks</key>
    <dict>
      <key>1382</key>
      <dict>
        <key>Track ID</key><integer>1382</integer>
        <key>Name</key><string>Six Man Band</string>
        <key>Artist</key><string>The Association</string>
        <key>Composer</key><string>Terry Kirkman</string>
        <key>Album</key><string>The Association's Greatest
Hits</string>
        <key>Genre</key><string>Rock</string>
        <key>Kind</key><string>Apple Lossless audio file</string>
        <key>Size</key><integer>13495797</integer>
        <key>Total Time</key><integer>132800</integer>
        <key>Disc Number</key><integer>1</integer>
        <key>Disc Count</key><integer>1</integer>
        <key>Track Number</key><integer>13</integer>
        <key>Track Count</key><integer>13</integer>
        <key>Year</key><integer>1968</integer>
        <key>Date Modified</key><date>2007-07-31T12:54:42Z</date>
        <key>Date Added</key><date>2007-05-24T12:55:10Z</date>
        <key>Bit Rate</key><integer>812</integer>
        <key>Sample Rate</key><integer>44100</integer>
        <key>Play Count</key><integer>2</integer>
        <key>Play Date</key><integer>3263546735</integer>
        <key>Play Date UTC</key><date>2007-06-01T18:45:35Z</date>
        <key>Rating</key><integer>60</integer>
        <key>>Sort Album</key><string>Association's Greatest
Hits</string>
        <key>Sort Artist</key><string>Association</string>
        <key>Persistent ID</key><string>7F4C299F41BBC98E</string>
        <key>Track Type</key><string>File</string>

<key>Location</key><string>file://localhost/C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/brazee/My%20Documents/My%20Music/iTunes/iTunes%20Music/The%20Association/The%20Association's%20Greatest%20Hits/13%20Six%20Man%20Band.m4a</string>
        <key>File Folder Count</key><integer>4</integer>
        <key>Library Folder Count</key><integer>1</integer>
        </dict>
...

This record is duplicated for each song in iTunes, but when a field is
blank, the field doesn't exist.   So the 13th key might be Rating, and
might be something else.

There's another record after these that I haven't yet looked at:
  <key>Playlists</key>
    <array>
      <dict>
        <key>Name</key><string>Library</string>
        <key>Master</key><true/>
        <key>Playlist ID</key><integer>1849</integer>
        <key>Playlist Persistent
ID</key><string>24C6C8A6E577E13D</string>
        <key>Visible</key><false/>
        <key>All Items</key><true/>
        <key>Playlist Items</key>
        <array>
           <dict>
             <key>Track ID</key><integer>339</integer>
           </dict>
           <dict>
             <key>Track ID</key><integer>340</integer>
           </dict>
...

So far, I wrote an .XML that showed the header information.

My detail information will eventually be a table with:

Name   	Artist			Rating
Six Man Band	The Association	***

(Apparently it stores 5 stars as 100, 4 as 80, 3 as 60, 2 as 40, 1 as
20, and zero doesn't get stored).   

I'll suppose I'll want to sort this table.

While that output would be useful, my primary goal is to figure out
how to program .XML for such a complicated file in a clean,
maintainable manner.   So I will be commenting it with reasons for my
choices.

It would be interesting to find .XSL that others have created to
handle this .XML file, but I haven't come across any yet.

If you don't have iTunes, it's free, and you don't need to buy songs -
just load a CD into it, and you will have your own .XML file to play
with.