PowerShell Script to Parse XML File Easily

Use [xml]$xml = Get-Content 'file.xml' to load the XML file, then access nodes like $xml.Root.Element to parse and read data.

Examples

Input<root><name>John</name></root>

OutputJohn

Input<books><book><title>Book1</title></book><book><title>Book2</title></book></books>

OutputBook1 Book2

Input<data><item id='1'>A</item><item id='2'>B</item></data>

OutputA B

How to Think About It

First, read the XML file content into a variable and convert it to an XML object using [xml]. Then, navigate the XML structure by accessing elements and attributes as properties to extract the needed data.

Algorithm

1

Read the XML file content into a string variable.

2

Convert the string to an XML object using the XML type accelerator.

3

Access the desired XML elements or attributes using dot notation.

4

Output or process the extracted data as needed.

Code

powershell

[xml]$xml = Get-Content 'sample.xml'
foreach ($book in $xml.books.book) {
    Write-Output $book.title
}

Output

Book1
Book2

Dry Run

Let's trace parsing a sample XML with two book titles through the code

1

Load XML content

[xml]$xml = Get-Content 'sample.xml' loads XML with books and titles

2

Loop through book elements

foreach loops over $xml.books.book which contains two book nodes

3

Output each title

Write-Output prints each book.title: 'Book1' then 'Book2'

Iteration	Current Book Title
1	Book1
2	Book2

Why This Works

Step 1: Load XML as object

Using [xml] converts the file content into an XML object, enabling easy property access.

Step 2: Access elements by name

XML nodes become properties, so $xml.books.book accesses all elements.

Step 3: Iterate and output

Looping through nodes lets you extract and print each