XML Data Search

Question

I need to be able to use as3 to search through my XML file and populate dynamic text field with certain data. For example if this were my xml:
<firstperiod>
     <person>
          <name>Last, First</name>
          <grade1> 98 </grade1>
          <grade2> 87</grade2>
          <grade3> 62 </grade3>
          <grade4> 93 </grade4>
          <grade5> 96 </grade5>
     </person>
     <person2>
          <name>Last, First</name>
          <grade1> 98 </grade1>
          <grade2> 87</grade2>
          <grade3> 62 </grade3>
          <grade4> 93 </grade4>
          <grade5> 96 </grade5>
     </person2>
</firstperiod>
Then I may want to search for the highest grade and fill in a dynamic text field, or maybe the second highest grade and pull that data.  How could I do this?
Thanks!

Answer 1

I don't really work in AS2 so you might get a better response on the AS2 forum but this is something i knocked up that seems to work
grades.xml
<period type="first">
                    <person>
                                          <name>Last, First</name>
                                          <grade type="1"> 98 </grade>
                                          <grade type="2"> 87 </grade>
                                          <grade type="3"> 62 </grade>
                                          <grade type="4"> 93 </grade>
                                          <grade type="5"> 96 </grade>
                    </person>
                    <person>
                                          <name>Last, First</name>
                                          <grade type="1"> 89 </grade>
                                          <grade type="2"> 78 </grade>
                                          <grade type="3"> 26 </grade>
                                          <grade type="4"> 39 </grade>
                                          <grade type="5"> 69 </grade>
                    </person>
</period>
<period type="second">
                    <person>
                                          <name>Last, First</name>
                                          <grade type="1"> 56 </grade>
                                          <grade type="2"> 49 </grade>
                                          <grade type="3"> 78 </grade>
                                          <grade type="4"> 99 </grade>
                                          <grade type="5"> 43 </grade>
                    </person>
                    <person>
                                          <name>Last, First</name>
                                          <grade type="1"> 24 </grade>
                                          <grade type="2"> 56 </grade>
                                          <grade type="3"> 73 </grade>
                                          <grade type="4"> 81 </grade>
                                          <grade type="5"> 55 </grade>
                    </person>
</period>
as in frame 1 of fla
trace("start");
var xml:XML = new XML();
xml.ignoreWhite = true;
xml.load("grades.xml");
xml.onLoad = xmlLoaded;
function xmlLoaded(loaded)
          if (loaded)
                    var grades:Array = getGrades(this);
                    var first:Number = Number.MIN_VALUE;
                    var second:Number = Number.MIN_VALUE;
                    for (var i:Number = 0; i < grades.length; i++)
                              var grade:Number = grades[i];
                              if (grade > first)
                                        second = first;
                                        first = grade;
                              else if (grade > second)
                                        second = grade;
                    trace("first: " + first);
                    trace("second: " + second);
function getGrades(xml:XML):Array
          var gradeValues:Array = new Array();
          var periods:Array = xml.childNodes;
          for (var i:Number = 0; i < periods.length; i++)
                    var period:XMLNode = periods[i];
                    var people:Array = period.childNodes;
                    for (var j:Number = 0; j < people.length; j++)
                              var person:XMLNode = people[j];
                              var grades:Array = person.childNodes;
                              for (var k:Number = 0; k < grades.length; k++)
                                        var grade:XMLNode = grades[k];
                                        if (grade.nodeName == "grade")
                                                  var gradeValue:Number = parseInt(grade.firstChild.toString());
                                                  gradeValues.push(gradeValue);
          return gradeValues;