# Can't parse simple xml

**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/cant-parse-simple-xml/29179
**Category:** Logstash
**Created:** [September 12, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/cant-parse-simple-xml/29179 "2015-09-12T16:00:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![gogators](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dc4da7/32.png) [@gogators](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/gogators)
#### Post date: [September 12, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/cant-parse-simple-xml/29179/1 "2015-09-12T16:00:43Z")

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Why is this simple test failing? I really don't understand the error message:

```
# echo "<data>123</data>" | logstash -e "input { stdin {} } filter { xml { source => "message" } } output { stdout {} }"                                        
Logstash startup completed
Trouble parsing xml with XmlSimple {:source=>"message", :value=>"<data>123</data>", :exception=>#<NoMethodError: undefined method `start_with?' for nil:NilClass>, :backtrace=>["/usr/local/logstash-1.5.4/vendor/bundle/jruby/1.9/gems/logstash-core-1.5.4-java/lib/logstash/event.rb:140:in `[]='", "/usr/local/logstash-1.5.4/vendor/bundle/jruby/1.9/gems/logstash-filter-xml-1.0.0/lib/logstash/filters/xml.rb:129:in `filter'", "/usr/local/logstash-1.5.4/vendor/bundle/jruby/1.9/gems/logstash-core-1.5.4-java/lib/logstash/filters/base.rb:163:in `multi_filter'", "org/jruby/RubyArray.java:1613:in `each'", "/usr/local/logstash-1.5.4/vendor/bundle/jruby/1.9/gems/logstash-core-1.5.4-java/lib/logstash/filters/base.rb:160:in `multi_filter'", "(eval):41:in `filter_func'", "/usr/local/logstash-1.5.4/vendor/bundle/jruby/1.9/gems/logstash-core-1.5.4-java/lib/logstash/pipeline.rb:219:in `filterworker'", "/usr/local/logstash-1.5.4/vendor/bundle/jruby/1.9/gems/logstash-core-1.5.4-java/lib/logstash/pipeline.rb:157:in `start_filters'"], :level=>:warn}
2015-09-12T15:53:57.722Z jman <data>123</data>
```

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![magnusbaeck](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/magnusbaeck/32/44943_2.png) [@magnusbaeck](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/magnusbaeck)
#### Post date: [September 12, 2015, 8:16pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/cant-parse-simple-xml/29179/2 "2015-09-12T20:16:01Z")

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You have to set the [`target` parameter](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/logstash/current/plugins-filters-xml.html#plugins-filters-xml-target). See [github.com/elastic/logstash issue #3843](https://github.com/elastic/logstash/issues/3843) for more on this.

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### Author: ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2017, 5:29am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/cant-parse-simple-xml/29179/3 "2017-07-06T05:29:16Z")

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