java - JDOM.Element.getChild(String) is returning unexpected results -

according api @ jdom.org, semantics of getchild(string name):

this returns first child element within element given local name , belonging no namespace. if no elements exist specified name , namespace, null returned.

therefore, if have xml structure like:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <lvl1>     <lvl2>         <lvl3/>     </lvl2> </lvl1> 

i have jdom element pointing <lvl1>. should able make following call:

element lvl3 = lvl1element.getchild("lvl3"); 

and lvl3 should have non-null.

however, i'm finding lvl3 null. missing something?

here sample code snippet should work:

import java.io.stringreader; import org.jdom.*; public static void main(string[] args){     document doc = new saxbuilder().build(new stringreader("path file"));     element lvl1element = doc.getrootelement();     element lvl3element = lvl1element.getchild("lvl3"); //is null. why? } 

in order functionality looking for, used iterator getdescendants(elementfilter) function jdom.org

i got element looking using code similar following:

element lvl3 = lvl1.getdescendants(new elementfilter("lvl3"));