# How to best extract Ruby strings from REXML::Text instances?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-best-extract-ruby-strings-from-rexml-text-instances/113006>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [August 26, 2007, 1:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-best-extract-ruby-strings-from-rexml-text-instances/113006 "2007-08-26T01:46:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kenneth\_McDonald](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kenneth\_McDonald](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Kenneth_McDonald)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2007, 1:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-best-extract-ruby-strings-from-rexml-text-instances/113006/1 "2007-08-26T01:46:39Z")

</div>

REXML is a great package and is making it very easy for me to extract  
data from web pages. However, I’m having trouble with extracting a file  
string value from text nodes. My understanding from reading the API doc  
is that saying something like

```
p a_textnode.value

```

should print out the string value of the textnode with special character  
entities back-substituted, eg. with " " put in place of "&nbsp;".  
However, I’m getting the XML-style value, i.e. I’m getting something  
like

```
&nbsp;15.16&nbsp;

```

printed to the terminal, special character entities aren’t being  
substituted for.

Am I misinterpreting what .value does? Is there a better or other way to  
do this?

Thanks,  
Ken

P.S. Can anyone recommend a good XPath quick reference or summary?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kenneth\_McDonald](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kenneth\_McDonald](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Kenneth_McDonald)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 4:53pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-best-extract-ruby-strings-from-rexml-text-instances/113006/2 "2007-08-27T16:53:45Z")

</div>

2007/8/26, Kenneth McDonald [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid):

> REXML is a great package and is making it very easy for me to extract  
> data from web pages. However, I’m having trouble with extracting a file  
> string value from text nodes. My understanding from reading the API doc  
> is that saying something like
> 
> ```
> p a_textnode.value
> 
> ```

I think you want “element.text”.

irb(main):008:0\> t=REXML::Document.new(“bar”)  
=\> … \</\>  
irb(main):009:0\> t.root.text  
=\> “bar”  
irb(main):010:0\> t.root.text.class  
=\> String

> Am I misinterpreting what .value does? Is there a better or other way to  
> do this?
> 
> Thanks,  
> Ken
> 
> P.S. Can anyone recommend a good XPath quick reference or summary?

I use this frequently:  
[http://www.w3schools.com/xpath/](http://www.w3schools.com/xpath/)

and sometimes this:  
[http://www.zvon.org/xxl/XPathTutorial/General/examples.html](http://www.zvon.org/xxl/XPathTutorial/General/examples.html)

Kind regards

robert