Trying to find XML tags but getElementsByTagName returning 0 length

I am trying to edit some XML via VBA and find tags using the getElementsByTagName method but it is not returning anything. The XML File is as follows

    <ribbon>
        <tabs>
            <tab label="Lab" id="ID1" insertAfterMso="TabHome">
                <group id="Grp1" label="Group 1">
                    <button id="Button" imageMso="FunctionsInformationInsertGallery" size="large" label="Button"/>
                </group>
                <group id="Grp2" label="Group 2">
                </group>
            </tab>
        </tabs>
    </ribbon>
</customUI>

The code is as follows

Sub ModXML()
Dim rXML As String
Dim respXML As New MSXML2.DOMDocument60
Dim lst As MSXML2.IXMLDOMNodeList

rXML = ThisWorkbook.path & "\ex\example.xml"
Set respXML = New DOMDocument60
respXML.Load (rXML)

Set lst = respXML.getElementsByTagName("tab")
Debug.Print respXML.XML
Debug.Print lst.Length

End Sub

And the debug output is

<customUI xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2009/07/customui" onLoad="OnLoad">
    <ribbon>
        <tabs>
            <tab label="Lab" id="ID1" insertAfterMso="TabHome">
                <group id="Grp1" label="Group 1">
                    <button id="Button" imageMso="FunctionsInformationInsertGallery" size="large" label="Button"/>
                </group>
                <group id="Grp2" label="Group 2">
                </group>
            </tab>
        </tabs>
    </ribbon>
</customUI>

 0

No other tags work either.

Solution

Not quite sure I know the reason why, but the issue seems to be using getElementsByTagName with the namespace. I followed this example

getelementsbytagname for xml response text not working

and rather than using getElementsByTagName, used SelectNodes. The code then is as follows:


Sub ModXML()
Dim rXML As String
Dim respXML As New MSXML2.DOMDocument60
Dim lst As MSXML2.IXMLDOMNodeList

Dim nSpace As String
nSpace = "xmlns:doc='http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2009/07/customui'"


rXML = ThisWorkbook.path & "\ex\example.xml"
Set respXML = New DOMDocument60
respXML.Load (rXML)
respXML.SetProperty "SelectionNamespaces", nSpace

Set lst = respXML.DocumentElement.SelectNodes("//doc:tab")

Debug.Print respXML.XML
Debug.Print lst.Length

End Sub

and the output is

<customUI xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2009/07/customui" onLoad="OnLoad">
    <ribbon>
        <tabs>
            <tab label="Lab" id="ID1" insertAfterMso="TabHome">
                <group id="Grp1" label="Group 1">
                    <button id="Button" imageMso="FunctionsInformationInsertGallery" size="large" label="Button"/>
                </group>
                <group id="Grp2" label="Group 2">
                </group>
            </tab>
        </tabs>
    </ribbon>
</customUI>

 1

as expected