XML::Writer beginner problems

[Kevin Zembower]

Hope it's okay to write to this group regarding beginner problems with XML::Writer. I'm a beginner both to XML in general, and XML::Writer in particular.

I'm trying to run this program:
============================
#! /usr/bin/perl

use XML::Writer;

my $writer = new XML::Writer(DATA_MODE => 1,
DATA_INDENT => 3,
UNSAFE =>1);

$writer->xmlDecl("ISO-8859-1");

$writer->dataElement("docnum", "PIP 189165");
$writer->startTag("greeting",
"class" => "simple");
$writer->characters("Hello, world!");
$writer->endTag("greeting");

$writer->end();
============================
When I do, I get the output I think I want:
kevinz@www:~/POPLINE_XML$ ./test.pl
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>

<docnum>PIP 189165</docnum>
<greeting class="simple">Hello, world!</greeting>
kevinz@www:~/POPLINE_XML$

This output looks like valid XML to me. I don't see any problems with it.

However, when I remove the UNSAFE and change the third line to:
my $writer = new XML::Writer(DATA_MODE => 1,
DATA_INDENT => 3);

I get this output:
kevinz@www:~/POPLINE_XML$ ./test.pl
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>

Attempt to insert start tag after close of document element at ./test.pl line 11
<docnum>PIP 189165</docnum>kevinz@www:~/POPLINE_XML$

I don't understand what I'm doing wrong to cause XML::Writer to complain. Do I not understand XML correctly?

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions.

-Kevin Zembower

-----
E. Kevin Zembower
Unix Administrator
Johns Hopkins University/Center for Communications Programs
111 Market Place, Suite 310
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-659-6139

[R. Joseph Newton]

KEVIN ZEMBOWER wrote:

> Hope it's okay to write to this group regarding beginner problems with XML::Writer. I'm a beginner both to XML in general, and XML::Writer in particular.

Well, you are working with a Perl interface, so it's not really too off-topic. On the other hand, the content of your error messages points strongly to anXML
error as the root problem. Your best range of help would probably come from an XML group. When you post to them, though, focus on the content of the XML
being parsed, rather than the Perl code used to generate it.

Joseph