> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.bindplane.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.bindplane.com/integrations/processors/insert-xml-elements.md).

# Insert XML Elements

Inserts an XML fragment at an XPath location inside an XML string. A common use is back-filling empty elements with a placeholder so they survive a later parse. The output is the modified XML string.

### Supported Telemetry Types

| Logs | Metrics | Traces |
| ---- | ------- | ------ |
| ✓    | ✓       | ✓      |

Choose Telemetry Type picks one signal per processor instance. Add another instance to handle a second signal.

### Configuration

#### Basic Configuration

<figure><img src="/files/UHwJ69zgZwozcqWYAFPm" alt="Bindplane docs - Insert XML Elements - image 1"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**What to insert, and where**

| Parameter             | Type               | Required | Default   | Description                                                                                                       |
| --------------------- | ------------------ | -------- | --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Choose Telemetry Type | Telemetry Selector | Yes      | Logs      | The signal this instance runs on: Logs, Metrics, or Traces (one at a time).                                       |
| XPath                 | String             | Yes      | —         | The XPath selecting the element(s) to insert into. Applies to all selected telemetry types.                       |
| XML To Insert         | String             | Yes      | —         | The XML fragment to insert at the XPath, for example `<value>-</value>`. Applies to all selected telemetry types. |
| Condition             | OTTL Condition     | No       | *(empty)* | Insert only into records that match. Empty runs on every record.                                                  |

**Source and target fields**

| Parameter         | Type                                    | Required | Default   | Description                                                                                                                      |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------- | -------- | --------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Source Field Type | Enum: Resource, Attribute, Body, Custom | Yes      | Attribute | Where the XML string is read from. **Body is logs-only.** Custom takes any OTTL path.                                            |
| Source Field      | OTTL Field                              | Yes \*   | —         | The field holding the XML. Bracket notation for nested fields. For a Body source, leave empty to use the whole body.             |
| Target Field Type | Enum: Resource, Attribute, Body, Custom | Yes      | Attribute | Where the modified XML is written. **Body is logs-only.**                                                                        |
| Target Field      | OTTL Field                              | Yes \*   | —         | Destination for the modified XML. Point it at the source to edit in place. For a Body target, leave empty to use the whole body. |

\* The **Body** field type is the exception: it's optional, and leaving it empty targets the entire body.

**Body is available for Logs only.** For Metrics and Traces, the field type options are Resource, Attribute, and Custom.

### Examples

#### Back-fill empty elements before a parse

<figure><img src="/files/jFx6nr1mUzssZ20lVLbK" alt="Bindplane docs - Insert XML Elements - image 2"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### XPath with a quoted predicate

<figure><img src="/files/vfOTZqAmUojkDnifGcuj" alt="Bindplane docs - Insert XML Elements - image 3"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

XPath predicates and inserted fragments with quotes are entered as-is; embedded quotes are escaped safely when the config is generated.

### Configuration Tips

* Use this ahead of **Parse Simplified XML** to protect empty elements, which the parser would otherwise drop.

### Troubleshooting

#### Nothing gets inserted

Symptoms: the document is unchanged after the processor runs.

Solutions:

1. Verify the XPath matches at least one node in the source document.
2. Confirm the XML To Insert fragment is well-formed (balanced tags), and that the Condition evaluates true.

### Standalone Processor

```yaml
apiVersion: bindplane.observiq.com/v1
kind: Processor
metadata:
  name: insert-xml-elements
spec:
  type: xml_insert_elements
  parameters:
    - name: telemetry_types
      value: Logs
    - name: log_condition
      value: not IsMap(body)
    - name: xpath
      value: //Data[not(text())]
    - name: xml_value
      value: <value>-</value>
    - name: log_source_field_type
      value: Body
    - name: log_body_source_field
      value: ""
    - name: log_target_field_type
      value: Body
    - name: log_body_target_field
      value: ""
```

### Related Resources

* [InsertXML — OTTL function reference](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-contrib/blob/main/pkg/ottl/ottlfuncs/README.md#insertxml)

### Bindplane Resources

These XML and slice processors are designed to work together. Chain them to normalize, parse, and reshape XML end to end:

* [Convert XML Attributes To Elements](/integrations/processors/convert-xml-attributes-to-elements.md)
* [Convert XML Text To Elements](/integrations/processors/convert-xml-text-to-elements.md)
* [Parse Simplified XML](/integrations/processors/parse-simplified-xml.md)
* [Slice to Map](/integrations/processors/slice-to-map.md)
* [Get XML](/integrations/processors/get-xml.md)
* [Remove XML](/integrations/processors/remove-xml.md)


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