Parse XML file for attribute from batch file

Question

I am parsing a XML file like below:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!--
-->
<configuration>
   <settings>
      <connections>
            <connection name="name1" value="connection1" type="abc"/>
            <connection name="name2" value="connection2" type="def"/>
      </connections>
   </settings>
</configuration>

From the batch file, I prompt the user for connection name. I want to parse the XML get a connection with the specified name and get its value. So If user gives name1, I want to select connection1. I had the below code from Extract XML Tag Values (Based on a Flag) Using Batch

I am not familiar with for loop in (especially delimits, tokens) batch file, so I am not sure how this works and how to make it work for me.

(for /F "tokens=1,2 delims== " %%a in (connection.config) do (
   if "%%~b" neq "" set %%a=%%~b
   if /I "!name!" equ "%name%" echo !value!
))

Answer 1

It works, if you use the right tokens and delimiters:

@echo off&setlocal
for /F tokens^=2^,3^,5delims^=^<^"^= %%a in (connection.config) do (
   if "%%a" equ "connection name" echo(%%b %%c
)

Output is:

name1 connection1
name2 connection2

Answer 2

Here's the xpath.bat -small script that will allow you to get a xml values by xpath expression without using external binaries:

call xpath.bat "connection.config" "//connection/@name"
call xpath.bat "connection.config" "//connection/@value"

to assign this to a variable:

for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%# in ('xpath.bat "connection.config" "//connection/@value"') do set "connection_value=%%#"
echo %connection_value%