Import XML... vs .importXML [JS CS4]

Question

I'm looking to programmatically import an XML file, but the results are not what I expected.
For example, take this file, sample.xml
<persons>
   <person pid="0">
     <name>John Q. Public</name>
     <age>54</age>
     <date string="birthday">
       <day>14</day>
       <month>May</month>
       <year>1956</year>
     </date>
   </person>
   <person pid="1">
     <name>Sally Smith</name>
If I run this code, importSample.jsx
// a new document was already programmatically created
var myDocument = app.documents.item(0);
myDocument.xmlElements[0].importXML(File(Folder.desktop + "/sample.xml"));
I get this:
But if I use File > Import XML... I get this, which is what I want:
The examples I'm finding for scripting XML import are all the same – most results for scripting turn up Adobe's own PDF guides. The XML rules examples in the InDesign CS4 Scripting Guide PDF (Javascript) uses similar XML in its example, but requires it to be imported already. What am I missing here?

Answer 1

First off, thanks for the reply!
Perhaps a few basic checks are in order:
* is your sample.xml saved as plain text? (I suppose it is, because ID itself can read it. Check anyway, will you?)
As sample.xml or sample.txt, as UTF-8 with or without the BOM – no go.
* are you sure the file opened in your script is the one you intended? I put the XML file in the Scripts folder, and used this for path:
myDocument.xmlElements[0].importXML(File(app.activeScript.path + "/sample.xml"));
If I remove the one I think I'm using on the Desktop it gives me a modal window saying the file can't be found. I tried the above path with a copy of the XML in the same folder as the script with the same results.
* ... can't think of anything else ...
(Ed.) My version is not showing any XML contents, but that's because it's a preference which accidentally was "off" on my system. It's still the same.
Running the script doesn't "open" the XML tree in the Structures panel. If you open the Root item, it shows "persons" but not its contained items. However, since I saw the little triangle on the left, I knew there was more to it and opened that too. Perhaps ... your InDesign forgot to draw that "there-is-more" triangle!
Did you know clicking the Open triangle with the Alt button down (on a Mac) also opens all elements within? I just found that accidentally ... (Plenty surprises left, I guess.)
I clicked, option-clicked, command-clicked, command-option clicked... where the disclosure triangle next to "persons" should be, and no results. Clicking the same way on "Root" only discloses "persons". (That's a cool trick for showing all items though.)
If I select "persons" and choose "New Element..." from the Structure Panel menu I get a choice of:
person
persons
Root
I can't add more to the newly created "person" in the same (or any) way. Options at higher levels remain the same.
Is one of these wrong?
function setXMLPrefs(){
   var myDocument = app.documents.item(0);
   // XML View Preferences
   var myXMLViewPreferences = myDocument.xmlViewPreferences;
   myXMLViewPreferences.showAttributes = true;
   myXMLViewPreferences.showStructure = true;
   myXMLViewPreferences.showTaggedFrames = true;
   myXMLViewPreferences.showTagMarkers = true;
   myXMLViewPreferences.showTextSnippets = true;
   // XML Import Prefs
   var myXMLImportPreferences = myDocument.xmlImportPreferences;
   myXMLImportPreferences.allowTransform = false;
   myXMLImportPreferences.createLinkToXML = false;
   myXMLImportPreferences.ignoreUnmatchedIncoming = true;
   myXMLImportPreferences.ignoreWhitespace = true;
   myXMLImportPreferences.importCALSTables = true;
   myXMLImportPreferences.importStyle = XMLImportStyles.mergeImport;
   myXMLImportPreferences.importTextIntoTables = false;
   myXMLImportPreferences.importToSelected = false;
   myXMLImportPreferences.removeUnmatchedExisting = false;
   myXMLImportPreferences.repeatTextElements = true;