[xml] Newbie question on libxml

[Medi Montaseri <medi montaseri onstor com>]

Being new to libXML, and I have the following question:
Say I have the following XML file representing a collection of system 
configuration files (a manifest) such as
/etc/foo.conf, /etc/goo.conf that needs to be copied, deleted, etc based 
on the operation (COPY, RESET, RESTORE).

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<!DOCTYPE object
[
       <!ELEMENT object (name, type, op+)>
       <!ELEMENT name (#PCDATA)>
       <!ELEMENT type (#PCDATA)>
       <!ELEMENT op (action, src, dst)>
       <!ELEMENT action (#PCDATA)>
       <!ELEMENT src (#PCDATA)>
       <!ELEMENT dst (#PCDATA)>
]>

<object>
       <name>/etc/foo.conf</name>
       <type>file</type>
       <op>
               <action>RESET</action>
               <src>/tmp/foo.conf.orig</src>
               <dst>/etc/foo.conf</dst>
       </op>
       <op>
               <action>COPY</action>
               <src>copy_src</src>
               <dst>copy_dst</dst>
       </op>
       <op>
               <action>RESTORE</action>
               <src>/tmp/restor.conf.orig</src>
               <dst>/etc/restor.conf</dst>
       </op>
</object>

I have learned how to read/parse this file via xmlReadFile with 
XML_PARSE_NOBLANKS | XML_PARSE_DTDVALID. I have also manged to walk the 
tree and print node name and content.
Here is what I want to be able to do:
An operation specific C function (such as processManifestCopy()) would 
read/parse this file and then
proceed to identify all the objects (or files) whose op.action is COPY 
and then do the appropriate thing.

My question is:
Is there any libxml function that can do some of this work for me. The 
only way that I know how to
do this at this point is to walk the tree with xmlDocGetRootElement(), 
and xmlNode and
put each object in a struct, then examine the op.action, if this is what 
I want, then move on to the next
object, else reuse this struct, such that at the end of the day, I have 
a link list of structures.
I'm sure libXML is more powerfull than ... here is a xmlDocPtr, now take 
it from here....

As a suggestion, perhaps xmlsoft.org site's author could provide some 
SEE ALSO links
in the description area of functions. Currently one learns about a 
function such as xmlReadFile()
but what do you do with that, where do you go from here....not 
there...basically the old unix man page recommendations.

Thanks everyone ...