High level functions are perhaps required

[Shaul]

I begun using TinyXml a few days ago as I move my project from Registry to XML. The learning curve was very steep, perhaps thanks to the neat class hierarchy of TinyXml. The documentation, may I add, was OK, not more.
Although TinyXml gives you efficient tool to build ANY xml file - it lack, so I feel, the High level functions that might make your life easier when creating a simple xml file.

Take this following simple structure:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes" ?>
<!--This file holds the configuration of SmartPropoPlus - Tampering with it will not be wise-->
    <SmartPropoPlus Version="4" SubVersion="1">
        <Targets>
            <vJoy_Device>
                <Id>1</Id>
                <Device_Map>
                    <Axes>
                        <SL1>1</SL1>
                        <SL0>2</SL0>
                        <RZ>3</RZ>
                        <RY>4</RY>
                        <RX>5</RX>
                        <Z>10</Z>
                        <Y>9</Y>
                        <X>8</X>
                    </Axes>
                </Device_Map>
            </vJoy_Device>
        </Targets>
    </SmartPropoPlus>

Note how much work you should do to write/change every leaf (X, Y ... SL1) even when having a handle to element <Axes>
I wrote a helper function that others might find useful:

~~~~~~
// Create/Replace a UNIQUE leaf element with its text
// Parameters:
// Parent: Handle of the parent element
// LeafName: The name of the leaf to create (if does not exist)
// LeafText: The text to insert in the leaf element
// Replace: If the leaf element exist - should the text be replaced
// Returns: Handle to leaf element if successful - NULL otherwize
TiXmlHandle UniqueTextLeaf(TiXmlHandle Parent, std::string &LeafName, std::string &LeafText, bool Replace)
{
// Does the leaf exist and unique
TiXmlElement * Leaf[2];
Leaf[0] = Parent.ChildElement(LeafName, 0).ToElement();
Leaf[1] = Parent.ChildElement(LeafName, 1).ToElement();
if (Leaf[0] && Leaf[1]) // Leaf not unique
return 0;

if (!Replace && Leaf[0]) // Leaf already exists and not to be replaced
    return 0;

if (!Leaf[0]) // Leaf does not exist - Create it
{
    Leaf[0] = new TiXmlElement(LeafName);
    Parent.ToElement()->LinkEndChild(Leaf[0]);
}

// Replace
Leaf[0]->Clear();
Leaf[0]->LinkEndChild(new  TiXmlText(LeafText));
TiXmlHandle LeafHandle(Leaf[0]);
return LeafHandle;

}
~~~~~

Another suggestion would be to define a function that does the reverse of the following:

       TiXmlElement* child2 = docHandle.FirstChild( "Document" ).FirstChild( "Element" ).Child( "Child", 1 ).ToElement();

That is a create a leaf element AND the path leading to it in one line of code. Something like this:

       TiXmlElement* child2 = docHandle.Child( "Document" ).Child( "Element" ).Child( "Child").CreateElement();

Please comment on this. Thank you.

[Jack charles]