Reading an RDLC XML file in VB.NET

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WinForms

The issue is that the RDLC xml uses XML namespaces:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Report xmlns:rd="http://schemas.microsoft.com/SQLServer/reporting/reportdesigner" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sqlserver/reporting/2008/01/reportdefinition">
</Report>

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You'll have to define (and use) a namespace manager, and you'll have to add a prefix to the xpath default elements (that don't have an explicit one in the document).
See the paragraph "Namespaces in XPath Expressions" here:
Select Nodes Using XPath Navigation
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/data/xml/select-nodes-using-xpath-navigation?view=netframework-4.7.2

Enough talk, here's a piece of PowerShell code that returns something.

$xmlDoc = [System.Xml.XmlDocument]::New()
$xmlDoc.Load("C:\Temp\Report.rdlc")

$nsMgr = [System.Xml.XmlNamespaceManager]::New($xmlDoc.NameTable)
$nsMgr.AddNamespace("ns", $xmlDoc.Report.GetAttribute("xmlns"))
$nsMgr.AddNamespace("rd", $xmlDoc.Report.GetAttribute("xmlns:rd"))

$nodeList = $xmlDoc.SelectNodes("ns:Report/ns:DataSets/ns:DataSet", $nsMgr)
ForEach ($node In $nodeList) {
	"DataSet Name: " + $node.GetAttribute("Name")
}

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Note: to access, for example, the "DataSourceID" node (note the explicit "rd" namespace), the XPath would look like this:

$xmlDoc.SelectNodes("ns:Report/ns:DataSources/ns:DataSource/rd:DataSourceID", $nsMgr)

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For anyone interested: sample files are here:
Sample Data and Report for Print Walkthrough
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms251734.aspx

I had a feeling it was something unique to the RDLC xml format.  
I tried the below code; but still not returning anything.

Dim xmlDOC As New XmlDocument()
            xmlDOC.Load(XMLFILE)

            Dim nsMgr As XmlNamespaceManager = New XmlNamespaceManager(xmlDOC.NameTable)
            nsMgr.AddNamespace("ns", "xmlns")
            nsMgr.AddNamespace("rd", "xmlns:rd")

            Dim nodeList As XmlNodeList = xmlDOC.SelectNodes("ns:Report/ns:DataSets/ns:DataSet", nsMgr)
            MsgBox(nodeList.Count)
            For Each node As XmlNode In nodeList
                MsgBox("DataSet Name: " & node("Name").InnerText)
            Next

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Have you tried the PowerShell script with the file you're working on?

I got the following error in PowerShell....

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> xmlDoc = [System.Xml.XmlDocument]::New()
At line:1 char:40
+ xmlDoc = [System.Xml.XmlDocument]::New()
+                                        ~
An expression was expected after '('.
    + CategoryInfo          : ParserError: (:) [], ParentContainsErrorRecordException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ExpectedExpression

Copy and paste error: you missed the very first "$" in front of "xmlDoc". Try the "Select all" link under the code block.

I pasted the command into PowerShell and hit return.  just a new line to type in.  I'm not very familiar with PowerShell with the acception of Script-Lets.

Define "just a new line to type in".
A new line starting with ">>", or a new line starting with "PS C:\>"?
If the former, you missed the closing "}" in the very last line.
If the latter, your rdlc file has a different format, and you'll have to post the relevant parts (that is, all nodes forming the XPath to the DataSet nodes you want to retrieve.
Copied from here and pasted back into a console, tested with the rdlc file I linked above.

PS C:\> $xmlDoc = [System.Xml.XmlDocument]::New()
PS C:\> $xmlDoc.Load("C:\Temp\Report.rdlc")
PS C:\>
PS C:\> $nsMgr = [System.Xml.XmlNamespaceManager]::New($xmlDoc.NameTable)
PS C:\> $nsMgr.AddNamespace("ns", $xmlDoc.Report.GetAttribute("xmlns"))
PS C:\> $nsMgr.AddNamespace("rd", $xmlDoc.Report.GetAttribute("xmlns:rd"))
PS C:\>
PS C:\> $nodeList = $xmlDoc.SelectNodes("ns:Report/ns:DataSets/ns:DataSet", $nsMgr)
PS C:\> ForEach ($node In $nodeList) {
>> "DataSet Name: " + $node.GetAttribute("Name")
>> }
DataSet Name: Sales
PS C:\>

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Thank you.  That worked and it did return the one dataset name in the report, which happens to be "DataSet1".

On closer inspection, your lines 5 and 6 don't work.
The strings "xmlns" and "xmlns:rd" are not the namespaces used, they're the attributes that hold the namespaces.
You need to use the GetATtribute() method like I did in lines 5 and 6.
Your script won't retrieve the dataset name, either, because the name is not in the node's InnerText, but in the node's attribute "Name". Like for the namespaces, you'll need the node's GetAttribute() method.

Doesn't recognize the .Report property of xmlDoc.

 Dim nsMgr As XmlNamespaceManager = New XmlNamespaceManager(xmlDOC.NameTable)
            nsMgr.AddNamespace("ns", xmlDOC.report.GetAttribute("xmlns"))
            nsMgr.AddNamespace("rd", xmlDOC.Report.GetAttribute("xmlns:rd"))

Report is not a member of xmlDocument.

Just try

             nsMgr.AddNamespace("ns", "http://schemas.microsoft.com/sqlserver/reporting/2008/01/reportdefinition")
             nsMgr.AddNamespace("rd", "http://schemas.microsoft.com/SQLServer/reporting/reportdesigner")

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I was just thinking about that too :)
unfortunately I'm getting back a nodeList.count of 0. Should I not get something back?

Dim xmlDOC As New XmlDocument()
            xmlDOC.Load(XMLFILE)

            Dim nsMgr As XmlNamespaceManager = New XmlNamespaceManager(xmlDOC.NameTable)
            nsMgr.AddNamespace("ns", "http://schemas.microsoft.com/sqlserver/reporting/2008/01/reportdefinition")
            nsMgr.AddNamespace("rd", "http://schemas.microsoft.com/SQLServer/reporting/reportdesigner")

            Dim nodeList As XmlNodeList = xmlDOC.SelectNodes("ns:Report/ns:DataSets/rd:DataSet", nsMgr)
            MsgBox(nodeList.Count)
            For Each node As XmlNode In nodeList
                MsgBox("DataSet Name: " & node("Name").InnerText)
            Next

        Catch ex As Exception
            MsgBox(ex.Message)
        End Try

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Because you now used the "rd" namespace for the DataSet; just look at the XML, the DataSet node uses the default namespace, here as "ns".
The "rd" namespace I mentioned above was only valid for the "DataSourceID" node.

And you still need to replace the part in which you get the DataSet's name.
Again: the DataSet's name is in the attribute "Name".
Will probably amount to something like

    MsgBox("DataSet Name: " & node.GetAttribute("Name")

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There is no GetAttribute property for node.
I get the following value when running the below code.....

DataSet Name: System.Xml.XmlAttribute

Dim xmlDOC As New XmlDocument()
            xmlDOC.Load(XMLFILE)

            Dim nsMgr As XmlNamespaceManager = New XmlNamespaceManager(xmlDOC.NameTable)
            nsMgr.AddNamespace("ns", "http://schemas.microsoft.com/sqlserver/reporting/2008/01/reportdefinition")
            nsMgr.AddNamespace("rd", "http://schemas.microsoft.com/SQLServer/reporting/reportdesigner")

            Dim nodeList As XmlNodeList = xmlDOC.SelectNodes("ns:Report/ns:DataSets/ns:DataSet", nsMgr)

        For Each node As XmlNode In nodeList
            MsgBox("DataSet Name: " & node.Attributes.GetNamedItem("Name").ToString)
        Next

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At the end of line 11, that would need to be .ToString(); it's a method, not a property.

got it.

node.Attributes("Name").Value

Trying to get the Table Name(s) now.  Returning nothing.

 Dim xmlDOC As New XmlDocument()
            xmlDOC.Load(XMLFILE)

            Dim nsMgr As XmlNamespaceManager = New XmlNamespaceManager(xmlDOC.NameTable)
            nsMgr.AddNamespace("ns", "http://schemas.microsoft.com/sqlserver/reporting/2008/01/reportdefinition")
            nsMgr.AddNamespace("rd", "http://schemas.microsoft.com/SQLServer/reporting/reportdesigner")

            Dim nodeList As XmlNodeList = xmlDOC.SelectNodes("ns:Report/ns:DataSets/ns:DataSet", nsMgr)

            For Each node As XmlNode In nodeList
                MsgBox("DataSet Name: " & node.Attributes("Name").Value)

                Dim nodeList_Tables As XmlNodeList = xmlDOC.SelectNodes("ns:Report/ns:DataSets/ns:DataSet/rd:DataSetInfo/rd:TableName", nsMgr)
                For Each node_tbl As XmlNode In nodeList_Tables
                    MsgBox("Table Name: " & node_tbl.Value)
                Next
            Next

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Can't tell without the XML. Might be the path and/or namespace, or that you're accessing the result with .Value

I took out the report design elements and columns to condense it down to be much more readable.
the table name is "SelectScript".
By the way, thank you so much for help me and you patience.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Report xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sqlserver/reporting/2008/01/reportdefinition" xmlns:rd="http://schemas.microsoft.com/SQLServer/reporting/reportdesigner">
  <DataSources>
    <DataSource Name="DataSet1">
      <ConnectionProperties>
        <DataProvider>System.Data.DataSet</DataProvider>
        <ConnectString>/* Local Connection */</ConnectString>
      </ConnectionProperties>
      <rd:DataSourceID>87380aff-faaf-405d-9335-fada0e622245</rd:DataSourceID>
    </DataSource>
  </DataSources>
  <DataSets>
    <DataSet Name="DataSet1">
      <Query>
        <DataSourceName>DataSet1</DataSourceName>
        <CommandText>/* Local Query */</CommandText>
      </Query>
      <Fields>
      </Fields>
      <rd:DataSetInfo>
        <rd:DataSetName>DataSet1</rd:DataSetName>
        <rd:SchemaPath></rd:SchemaPath>
        <rd:TableName>ScriptSelect</rd:TableName>
        <rd:TableAdapterFillMethod>Fill</rd:TableAdapterFillMethod>
        <rd:TableAdapterGetDataMethod />
        <rd:TableAdapterName>ScriptSelectTableAdapter</rd:TableAdapterName>
      </rd:DataSetInfo>
    </DataSet>
  </DataSets>
  <rd:ReportUnitType>Inch</rd:ReportUnitType>
  <rd:ReportID>569892cc-4847-403b-a49d-403de0420c11</rd:ReportID>
</Report>

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Up that worked.  Thank you so much for your help.