Hi I found something like a bug, I can't get this working:

import xml.dom.minidom as minidom
document="""<a>
    <b>
        <c />
        <c />
    </b>
</a>""" 
dom = minidom.parseString(document)

dom.childNodes
dom.childNodes[0].childNodes
dom.childNodes[0].childNodes[1].childNodes

def delete_recursive(parent):
    for child in parent.childNodes:
        if child.hasChildNodes():
            delete_recursive(child)
        else:
            parent.removeChild(child)

delete_recursive(dom)

dom.childNodes
dom.childNodes[0].childNodes
dom.childNodes[0].childNodes[0].childNodes

Executes as:
>>> import xml.dom.minidom as minidom
>>> document="""<a>
...     <b>
...         <c />
...         <c />
...     </b>
... </a>""" 
>>> dom = minidom.parseString(document)
>>> 
>>> dom.childNodes
[<DOM Element: a at 0x7f5408e717d0>]
>>> dom.childNodes[0].childNodes
[<DOM Text node "'\n    '">, <DOM Element: b at 0x7f5408e71f50>, <DOM Text node "'\n'">]
>>> dom.childNodes[0].childNodes[1].childNodes
[<DOM Text node "'\n        '">, <DOM Element: c at 0x7f5408e93290>, <DOM Text node "'\n        '">, <DOM Element: c at 0x7f5408e93310>, <DOM Text node "'\n    '">]
>>> 
>>> def delete_recursive(parent):
...     for child in parent.childNodes:
...         if child.hasChildNodes():
...             delete_recursive(child)
...         else:
...             parent.removeChild(child)
... 
>>> delete_recursive(dom)
>>> 
>>> dom.childNodes
[<DOM Element: a at 0x7f5408e717d0>]
>>> dom.childNodes[0].childNodes
[<DOM Element: b at 0x7f5408e71f50>]
>>> dom.childNodes[0].childNodes[0].childNodes
[<DOM Text node "'\n        '">, <DOM Element: c at 0x7f5408e93290>, <DOM Text node "'\n        '">, <DOM Element: c at 0x7f5408e93310>, <DOM Text node "'\n    '">]

The problem here is this last line, those text nodes shouldn't be here! I have traced the problem, and seem that the for loop is not correctly executed

The problem is that you are mutating parent.childNodes while you are iterating on it.  Iterating over a copy seems to solve the problem.

I know that is the problem, but that shouldn't happen! if you remove a item
from a list, that doesn't happen. That is why I tagged the error as
minidom's
El 08/01/2013 04:24, "Ezio Melotti" <report@bugs.python.org> escribió:

>
> Ezio Melotti added the comment:
>
> The problem is that you are mutating parent.childNodes while you are
> iterating on it.  Iterating over a copy seems to solve the problem.
>
> ----------
> nosy: +ezio.melotti
> resolution:  -> invalid
> stage:  -> committed/rejected
> status: open -> closed
> type:  -> behavior
>
> _______________________________________
> Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org>
> <http://bugs.python.org/issue16890>
> _______________________________________
>

It happens with lists too:
>>> l = list(range(10))
>>> for x in l:
...     l.remove(x)
... 
>>> l
[1, 3, 5, 7, 9]

Ok, sorry then.

Javier Domingo

2013/1/8 Ezio Melotti <report@bugs.python.org>

>
> Ezio Melotti added the comment:
>
> It happens with lists too:
> >>> l = list(range(10))
> >>> for x in l:
> ...     l.remove(x)
> ...
> >>> l
> [1, 3, 5, 7, 9]
>
> ----------
>
> _______________________________________
> Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org>
> <http://bugs.python.org/issue16890>
> _______________________________________
>