ultra newbie question (don't laugh)

[John Salerno]

Fredrik Lundh wrote:

> when you get programmers block, telling your brain to "shut up and let 
> me write some code" is often a good idea.  just start tinkering with 
> your first idea, and see if you can make it work.  if you get a little 
> stuck, hack your way through it.  if you get really stuck, take a break, 
> work on something else for a while, and wait for your brain to come up 
> with a better idea.  repeat.

Thanks Fredrik! My initial feeling was the opposite, i.e. don't rush 
into anything, just stop and think about how I want to do this first. 
But then of course the possibilities piled up and I was stuck, so your 
suggestion is probably much better at this point. I just need to try 
some things! If nothing else, I'll learn what's efficient and what's not.


> here's how I would start:
> snip

You know, I planned all along to use ElementTree to *read* my XML file, 
but like a bonehead I for some reason was trying to create all the 
*write* methods myself! Next stop: ElementTree documentation page! :)