Simple API for accessing data in an XML file in Java ? without ha vingto write all the parsing code myself

[Arthur Senator <asenator@synapsemail.com>]

I would like to use something simple 'like' the Microsoft ADO record set
object (a cursor that enables to retrieve and update very simply from/to an
XML file). 
I am not a Microsoft developer, yet was shown that and was quite impressed
by the simplicity of that API and wondering if there is any equivalent in
Java.

This is a dramatic simplification of things especially in an  application
that constantly need to read and write to such a file. (Possibly for
hundreds of attributes)
Since I don't need to build relations between nodes or to express any
model/relations in my XML file and don't want to traverse enumerations (DOM)
or use events (SAX) to get and set a  s-i-n-g-l-e value (big overhead .. the
parsing ) . I don't need in this particular case to write all the parsing
(overkill)

The Microsoft implementation allows to filter by attribute or combination of
attributes (equivalent of a SQL where clause).


If there is no API I may have to resort to using a cached properties file or
store the whole thing in a database and cache it.

Thanks
Ari

Here is an example of the ASP and XML file that stores the data

	set oRSXML = server.CreateObject("adodb.recordset")
	oRSXML.CursorLocation = adUseClient
	oRSXML.CacheSize = 100
	....
	....

function GetXMLElement(oRSXML, sElementName)
	'this function searches oRSXML for the first occurence of the
sElementName parameter
	'if the element is found then the text value associated with the
element is returned
	'on error resume next
	dim sElement
	oRSXML.movefirst
	oRSXML.find("ElementName = '" & sElementName & "'")
	if err <> 0  or oRSXML.bof or oRSXML.eof then
		GetXMLElement = ""
	else
		GetXMLElement = oRSXML("value")
	end if
end function



<xml xmlns:s='uuid:BDC6E3F0-6DA3-11d1-A2A3-00AA00C14882'
	xmlns:dt='uuid:C2F41010-65B3-11d1-A29F-00AA00C14882'
	xmlns:rs='urn:schemas-microsoft-com:rowset'
	xmlns:z='#RowsetSchema'>
<s:Schema id='RowsetSchema'>
	<s:ElementType name='row' content='eltOnly' rs:updatable='true'>
		<s:AttributeType name='ElementName' rs:number='1'
rs:write='true'>
			<s:datatype dt:type='string' rs:dbtype='str'
dt:maxLength='50' rs:precision='0' rs:maybenull='false'/>
		</s:AttributeType>
		<s:AttributeType name='Desc' rs:number='2' rs:write='true'>
			<s:datatype dt:type='string' rs:dbtype='str'
dt:maxLength='50' rs:precision='0' rs:maybenull='false'/>
		</s:AttributeType>
		<s:AttributeType name='PageName' rs:number='3'
rs:write='true'>
			<s:datatype dt:type='string' rs:dbtype='str'
dt:maxLength='50' rs:precision='0' rs:maybenull='false'/>
		</s:AttributeType>
		<s:AttributeType name='SectionName' rs:number='4'
rs:write='true'>
			<s:datatype dt:type='string' rs:dbtype='str'
dt:maxLength='50' rs:precision='0' rs:maybenull='false'/>
		</s:AttributeType>
		<s:AttributeType name='Value' rs:number='5' rs:write='true'>
			<s:datatype dt:type='string' rs:dbtype='str'
dt:maxLength='1024' rs:precision='0' rs:maybenull='false'/>
		</s:AttributeType>
		<s:AttributeType name='Title' rs:number='6' rs:write='true'>
			<s:datatype dt:type='string' rs:dbtype='str'
dt:maxLength='50' rs:precision='0' rs:maybenull='false'/>
		</s:AttributeType>
		<s:extends type='rs:rowbase'/>
	</s:ElementType>
</s:Schema>

<rs:data>
	<z:row ElementName='NumberMonthsFree' Desc='Number Months'
PageName='Admin2' SectionName='NumberMonths'
		 Value='2' Title=''/>
	<z:row ElementName='TopImageFile' Desc='Top Navbar Image '
PageName='Frame' SectionName='Image' Value='GMP_22222222_003_01.gif'
		 Title=''/>
	<z:row ElementName='BottomImageFile' Desc='Bottom Navbar Image '
PageName='Frame' SectionName='Image' Value='GMP_22222222_000_06.gif'
		 Title=''/>
</rs:data>
</xml>