User jQuery to get nested elements from XML

Question

I'm spinning my wheels on this. How do I get the values from the following nested elements from the XML below (I've also put my code below)? I am after the "descShort" value and then the capital "Last" and capital "change" :

<indices>
<index>
    <code>DJI</code>
    <exchange>NYSE</exchange>
    <liveness>DELAYED</liveness>
    <indexDesc>
        <desc>Dow Jones Industrials</desc>
        <descAbbrev>DOW JONES</descAbbrev>
        <descShort>DOW JONES</descShort>
        <firstActive></firstActive>
        <lastActive></lastActive>
    </indexDesc>
    <indexQuote>
        <capital>
            <first>11144.57</first>
            <high>11153.79</high>
            <low>10973.92</low>
            <last>11018.66</last>
            <change>-125.9</change>
            <pctChange>-1.1%</pctChange>
        </capital>
        <gross>
            <first>11144.57</first>
            <high>11153.79</high>
            <low>10973.92</low>
            <last>11018.66</last>
            <change>-125.9</change>
            <pctChange>-1.1%</pctChange>
        </gross>
        <totalEvents>4</totalEvents>
        <lastChanged>16-Apr-2010 16:03:00</lastChanged>
    </indexQuote>
</index>
<index>
    <code>XAO</code>
    <exchange>ASX</exchange>
    <liveness>DELAYED</liveness>
    <indexDesc>
        <desc>ASX All Ordinaries</desc>
        <descAbbrev>All Ordinaries</descAbbrev>
        <descShort>ALL ORDS</descShort>
        <firstActive>06-Mar-1970</firstActive>
        <lastActive></lastActive>
    </indexDesc>
    <indexQuote>
        <capital>
            <first>5007.30</first>
            <high>5007.30</high>
            <low>4934.00</low>
            <last>4939.40</last>
            <change>-67.9</change>
            <pctChange>-1.4%</pctChange>
        </capital>
        <gross>
            <first>5007.30</first>
            <high>5007.30</high>
            <low>4934.00</low>
            <last>4939.40</last>
            <change>-67.9</change>
            <pctChange>-1.4%</pctChange>
        </gross>
        <totalEvents>997</totalEvents>
        <lastChanged>19-Apr-2010 17:02:54</lastChanged>
    </indexQuote>
</index>

$.ajax({
            type: "GET",
            url: "stockindices.xml",
            dataType: "xml",
            success: function(xml) {
                $(xml).find('index').each(function(){

                    var self = $(this);                     
                    var code = self.find('indexDesc');

                    $(code).find('indexDesc').each(function(){
                        alert(self.find('descShort').text());
                    });                     

                    $('<span class=\"tickerItem\"></span>').html(values[0].text()).appendTo('#marq');                                                                   
                });
            }
        });

Answer 1

success: function(xml) {
  $(xml).find('index indexDesc descShort').each(function(){                    

    $('<span class=\"tickerItem\"></span>').html($(this).text()).appendTo('#marq');                                                                   
  });
}

Second requested example (this is the most readable, some optimisation possible)

success: function(xml) {
  $(xml).find('index').each(function(){                    

    var desc = $('indexDesc descShort', this).text();
    var last = $('indexQuote capital last', this).text();
    var change = $('indexQuote capital change', this).text();

    //Do whatever with the text values                                                                  
  });
}

Answer 2

You have some flaws in your function. This should do it:

success: function(xml) {
    $(xml).find('index').each(function(){

        var value = $(this).find('indexDesc descShort').text();
        value += ' ' + $(this).find('indexQuote capital last').text();
        value += ' ' + $(this).find('indexQuote capital change').text();

        $('<span class="tickerItem"></span>').text(value).appendTo('#marq');
    });
}

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Two comments on your code:

var code = self.find('indexDesc');

$(code).find('indexDesc').each(function(){
       alert(self.find('descShort').text());
}); 

Here you assign the element indexDesc to the variable code and later you try to find the element indexDesc inside indexDesc (which does not exist).

$('<span class=\"tickerItem\"></span>').html(values[0].text())

I really wonder where values comes from, it is never declared. And you don't need to escape double quotes in single quotes.

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I really recommand to read the documentation and a tutorial to get the basics of jQuery.