use xpath [url]http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath[/url]
xpath staments will be your queries into your xml instance.

XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument(xmlInstance);
String xpath = "/station/@label";

if ( doc.SelectSingleNode(xpath).Value == myVar )
{
//do something or check something
}

~PJ

"KathyB" <KathyBurke40@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:75e8d381.0306241332.7247225@posting.google.co m...
> Hi, I'm working with an xml structure that is NOT database
> centric...it does not fit the column/rows model.
>
> I need to be able to load an xml doc file into memory, then query that
> info and update/add nodes as needed. For example:
>
> <station name="label">
> <work_instructions order="1" title="Apply Labels">
> <boards>
> <board serial_no="111">
> <board serial_no="222">
> </boards>
> </work_instructions>
> </station>
>
> I need to be able to say: if station @name = varStation (variable)
> then
> do something, or check something, etc.
>
> Could someone please point me to some examples? I'm only finding
> database-structured xml used as examples and it isn't helping me!
>
> Thanks.
>
> Kathy