Xml Surgeon

Overview

Use scripts/main.py for XPath-based XML reads/edits with minimal formatting drift. Prefer dry-run + diff, then in-place write.

Quick start

• •Inspect matches:
  • •uv run scripts/main.py select --xpath "//field[@name='arch']" path/to/file.xml
• •Read text or attr:
  • •uv run scripts/main.py get --xpath "//field[@name='name']" path/to/file.xml
  • •uv run scripts/main.py get --xpath "//record" --attr id path/to/file.xml
• •Show subtree or inner XML:
  • •uv run scripts/main.py show --xpath "//record[@id='view_form']" path/to/file.xml
  • •uv run scripts/main.py show --xpath "//field[@name='arch']" --inner --max-chars 2000 path/to/file.xml
• •Scan child nodes:
  • •uv run scripts/main.py children --xpath "//group" path/to/file.xml
  • •uv run scripts/main.py children --xpath "//group" --list --attrs path/to/file.xml
• •Outline structure:
  • •uv run scripts/main.py outline --xpath "//record[@model='ir.ui.view']" --depth 3 path/to/file.xml
  • •uv run scripts/main.py outline --xpath "//record[@id='view_form']" --attr id --attr name path/to/file.xml
• •Context around matches:
  • •uv run scripts/main.py context --xpath "//field[@name='arch']" --before 2 --after 6 path/to/file.xml
• •Set attribute (dry-run + diff):
  • •uv run scripts/main.py set-attr --xpath "//field[@name='arch']" --name string --value my_label --diff path/to/file.xml
  • •add --in-place to write
• •Set text from file:
  • •uv run scripts/main.py set-text --xpath "//field[@name='arch']" --value-file snippet.xml --diff path/to/file.xml
• •Insert XML fragment:
  • •uv run scripts/main.py insert --xpath "//group" --position inside-last --xml "<field name='x'/>" --diff --reformat-ok path/to/file.xml
• •Delete nodes:
  • •uv run scripts/main.py delete --xpath "//field[@name='x']" --diff --reformat-ok path/to/file.xml

Workflow

• •Inspect: select for match counts and sourcelines
• •Read: show, children, outline, or context for subtree/structure scanning
• •Dry-run: run mutating commands with --diff (no --in-place)
• •Apply: add --in-place after diff looks tight
• •Verify: spot-check with select or get

Tasks

• •Inspect/select: use select, get, show, children, outline, and context for precise targeting
• •Attribute edits: set-attr, del-attr
• •Text edits: set-text with --value or --value-file
• •Structural edits: insert, replace, delete with XPath
• •Batch edits: pass multiple paths or globs (e.g., **/*.xml)

Guardrails

• •Minimal diffs: set-attr, del-attr, and set-text are surgical and preserve formatting
• •Structural edits: insert, replace, delete reserialize XML and can reformat; require --reformat-ok
• •Large files: use --huge if parser complains
• •Namespaces: pass --ns prefix=uri and use prefix:tag in XPath
• •Indentation drift: use --indent on insert/replace if needed

Resources

• •scripts/main.py: main XML edit tool (uv script)
• •scripts/lib.py: helper module used by the CLI
• •references/xml-editing.md: XPath tips, minimal-diff notes, large-file hints