Flash / Flex / ActionScript/XML/text node

Access the content of a text node as a String, not an XML instance

 
package{
  import flash.display.Sprite;
  
  public class Main extends Sprite{
    public function Main(){
        var novel:XML = <BOOK ISBN="0000000000">
            <TITLE>ActionScript</TITLE>
            <AUTHOR>J, J</AUTHOR>
            <PUBLISHER>Books Ltd</PUBLISHER>
          </BOOK>;
        
        trace(novel.TITLE.toString(  )); 
    }
  }
}

Retrieve an XMLList with the two text nodes

 
package{
  import flash.display.Sprite;
  
  public class Main extends Sprite{
    public function Main(){
        var novel:XML = <BOOK ISBN="0000000000">
            <TITLE>ActionScript</TITLE>
            <AUTHOR>J, J</AUTHOR>
            <PUBLISHER>Books Ltd</PUBLISHER>
        <DESCRIPTION>A <B>very</B> thick book.</DESCRIPTION>
          </BOOK>;
        
        trace(novel.DESCRIPTION);
    }
  }
}

To access text nodes with the array-element access operator

 
package{
  import flash.display.Sprite;
  
  public class Main extends Sprite{
    public function Main(){

        var novel:XML = <BOOK ISBN="0000000000">
            <TITLE>ActionScript</TITLE>
            <AUTHOR>J, J</AUTHOR>
            <PUBLISHER>Books Ltd</PUBLISHER>
        <DESCRIPTION>A <B>very</B> thick book.</DESCRIPTION>
          </BOOK>;
        
        trace(novel.DESCRIPTION.text(  )[0]);  // Displays: A
        trace(novel.DESCRIPTION.text(  )[1]);  // Displays: thick book.
    }
  }
}

To place the text nodes from each of those children into an XMLList

 
package{
  import flash.display.Sprite;
  
  public class Main extends Sprite{
    public function Main(){
        var novel:XML = <BOOK ISBN="0000000000">
            <TITLE>ActionScript</TITLE>
            <AUTHOR>J, J</AUTHOR>
            <PUBLISHER>Books Ltd</PUBLISHER>
        <DESCRIPTION>A <B>very</B> thick book.</DESCRIPTION>
          </BOOK>;
        
        trace(novel.*.text());

    }
  }
}

Use the properties wildcard

 
package{
  import flash.display.Sprite;
  
  public class Main extends Sprite{
    public function Main(){
        var novel:XML = <BOOK ISBN="0000000000">
            <TITLE>ActionScript</TITLE>
            <AUTHOR>J, J</AUTHOR>
            <PUBLISHER>Books Ltd</PUBLISHER>
          </BOOK>;
          
        trace(novel.TITLE.*[0]);  
    }
  }
}