C++ – Fastest C++ XML parsing library

To me, the question is the other way round. At what point does an XML Document become so cumbersome, that you have to start using SAX instead of DOM?

I would only use SAX for a very large, indeterminately-sized stream of data; or if the behaviour the XML is intended to invoke is really event-driven, and therefore SAX-like.

The example you give looks very DOM-like to me.

1. Load the XML
2. Extract the title node(s) and "do something with them".

EDIT: I'd also use SAX for streams that may be malformed, but where I want make a best-guess at getting the data out.

1. Each of your object types - Weapons for example should form a class hierarchy using inheritance. The attributes of this are known - and they must share the common attribute in the right way. (some times they are referred as entity objects).

2. There should be only one class call it something like arsenal which will take up XML as an input and produce a list of objects as per the above definition. The output is constructed entity objects like any other object - you don't have to touch XML after that.

3. Output of the arsenal can be a vector (template) to be able to access easily.

4. Error handling : You haven't specified much about it, but as general rule, you should try to handle exceptions on per class basis i.e. each class should have its own rule set for type of exception they can generate. E.g. if rate_of_fire >MAX rate_of_fire = MAX : this should be done inside core class and application should not have to worry about it.