as3 search xml with multiple elements

Question

I'm trying to search this XML document in as3

<mineral>
    <name>Calcite</name>
    <color>White</color
    <diaphaneity>Opaque</diaphaneity>
</mineral>
<mineral>
    <name>Spangolite</name>
    <color>Blue</color>
    <color>Green</color>
    <color>Blue Green</color>
    <color>Dark Green</color>
    <color>Emerald Green</color>
    <diaphaneity>Transparent</diaphaneity>
    <diaphaneity>Translucent</diaphaneity>
</mineral>
<mineral>
    <name>Barite</name>
    <color>Yellow</color>
    <color>Honey</color>
    <diaphaneity>Transparent</diaphaneity>
    <diaphaneity>Translucent</diaphaneity>
    <diaphaneity>Opaque</diaphaneity>
</mineral>
<mineral>
    <name>Landauite</name>
    <color>White</color>
    <diaphaneity>Transparent</diaphaneity>
    <diaphaneity>Translucent</diaphaneity>
</mineral>
<mineral>
    <name>Sapphire</name>
    <color>Blue</color>
    <color>Blue green</color>
    <diaphaneity>Transparent</diaphaneity>
    <diaphaneity>Translucent</diaphaneity>
</mineral>

and filter the results by Color first. So if you search for "Blue" you will get results of all the minerals that contain a "color" element who's value is "Blue" (Spangolite and Sapphire).

I load in my XML and create an XMLList of all the elements.

var dataLoader:URLLoader = new URLLoader();
var xmlData:XML;
dataLoader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, LoadComplete); 
dataLoader.load(new URLRequest("mineralXML.xml"));
function LoadComplete(e:Event):void
{
     xmlData = new XML(e.target.data);
     ParseMinerals(xmlData);
}

function ParseMinerals(mineralXML:XML):void
{
     var  mineralList:XMLList  =  mineralXML.mineral;

trace(mineralList);
}

With the "trace(mineralList)" command it will successfully trace the entire XML file, and if I change it to "trace(xmlData.mineral.(color == "White"));" then it traces out all of the nodes that a element with the value of "White".

<mineral>
  <name>Calcite</name>
  <color>White</color>
  <diaphaneity>Opaque</diaphaneity>
</mineral>
<mineral>
  <name>Landauite</name>
  <color>White</color>
  <diaphaneity>Transparent</diaphaneity>
  <diaphaneity>Translucent</diaphaneity>
</mineral>

However, if I search for Blue instead of White, it doesn't trace out anything. I'm guessing this is because the mineral nodes containing a element with values of "Blue" also have multiple other color values. This is the problem I am trying to assess.

I need to be able to search for a color and pull out all of the nodes that have one of those color values, regardless of having other color values.

Answer 1

I actually achieved this with the following code:

first I made an array for the results to be contained in when they are defined as well as a variable to note which result number the loop was at

var resultArray:Array = new Array;
var resultNum:Number = 0;

then I made a shared object out of the XML data

function ParseMinerals(mineralXML:XML):void
{
     //create a var called memory and datatype it to SharedObject and name the
     //file "attributes"
     var memory:SharedObject = SharedObject.getLocal("attributes");

     //create an XMLList containing the information in mineralXML.mineral
     var  mineralList:XMLList  =  mineralXML.mineral;

     //save the data in mineralList to shared object
     memory.data.mineralList = mineralList;
     memory.flush();
}

instead of running the code after the xml was loaded in the ParseMinerals function, I put it in a new function called "search" which runs when you push the "search" button.

function search(event:MouseEvent):void
{
    //load shared file
    var memory:SharedObject = SharedObject.getLocal("attributes");

    //create a variable that is the length of the list of minerals
    var len:int = memory.data.mineralList.length();

    //create variables to temporarily store information regarding minerals color 
    //and name
    var thisColor:String;
    var thisName:String;

    //create var that increments for each time you loop through a "mineral" node
    for (var i:int = 0; i < len; i++) {
        //create var that increments for each time you loop through a "color"
        //element  within a single "mineral" node
        for (var c:int = 0; c < xmlData.mineral[i].color.length(); c++) {
            //make thisColor equal to the current color that the for loop is on
            thisColor = xmlData.mineral[i].color[c];
            //make thisName equal to the current name that the for loop is on
            thisName = xmlData.mineral[i].name;
            //if the color that the for loop is currently on is equal to the
            //color you are searching for...
            if (thisColor == memory.data.mineralColor){
                //... then put the name of that mineral into an array
                resultArray.push(thisName);
                //... add 1 to the current result number
                resultNum ++;
                //... and trace the current result number and the name of the
                //... mineral corresponding to the color you are searching for
                trace("Result #" + resultNum + ": " + (thisName));
            }
        }
    }
    //reset array
    resultArray.length = 0;

    //reset result number
    resultNum = 0;
}

I'm not sure if this is the most efficient way to achieve the goal, but it works. If I select "White" from the list and click the Search button I made, the program traces

Result #1: Calcite 
Calcite

and if I search for "Blue" then the program traces

Result #1: Spangolite
Result #2: Sapphire
Spangolite, Sapphire

I hope this helps anybody that is trying to achieve a similar goal.

Answer 2

In your code the node has only one node in the case of color == white. In the other cases it has more than one nodes. So try like this,

 private function ParseMinerals(mineralXML:XML):void
    {
       var  mineralList:XMLList  =  mineralXML.mineral;
       for each (var mineral:XML in mineralList)
       {
        if(mineral.color.length()>1)
            {
           for each(var color in mineral.color)
           {
               if(color == "Green")
               {
              trace(mineral);       
               }    
            }
        }
        else
        {
           if(mineral.color == "White")
           {
            trace(mineral);     
           }
        }
   }