groovy.bighugesystems.com

def fw = new FileWriter("/somepath/persons.xml" )
// to write to standard out, remove fw
def xml = new groovy.xml.MarkupBuilder(fw)

xml.content() {

 xml.parameter(x:0)

 xml.person(id:100){
 firstname("John")
 lastname("Long")
 }

 xml.person(id:101){
 firstname("Ken")
 lastname("Smith")
 }
}

Result

<content>
 <parameter x='0' />
 <person id='100'>
 <firstname>John</firstname>
 <lastname>Long</lastname>
 </person>
 <person id='101'>
 <firstname>Ken</firstname>
 <lastname>Smith</lastname>
 </person>
</content>

Please note the difference between MarkupBuilder and StramingMarkupBuilder. More information about XML processing at groovy.codehaus.org
MarkupBuilder is not very flexible, but simple to use for some basic task. If you require comments, XML declarations and more, your rather use the StreamingMarkupBuilder.

• Download the latest stable Groovy release from groovy.codehaus.org
• Unzip the file (maybe to your home folder) and keep the release name, like groovy-1.6.7
• Modify your .bashrc (gedit ~/.bashrc), usually you need to add this:
  

  ### GROOVY
  export GROOVY_HOME=/home/whateveryourusername/groovy-1.6.7
  export PATH=$PATH:$GROOVY_HOME/bin
  

• Open a new shell and type groovy -version and you should get something like this:
  Groovy Version: 1.6.7 JVM: 1.6.0_16
• Start the console with groovyConsole
  
  

  The Groovy Console

• You are ready, lets get rolling with some snippets.

By the time I get started here Groovy 1.6.7 and Grails are the release versions.

I use Ubuntu 9.10, the GroovyConsole or Netbeans and Eclipse.

Dont ask for completeness, correctness or in-time feedback.

My main blog you find at javadude.wordpress.com