Automation

I'm learning automation, I've set myself the goal of creating a Python script that will take a list of IP addresses and workout out what firewalls zones they are in. 

( quite frankly something that should be built into the Junos CLI !! )

Input IPADDRESS  >> determine interface  > Determine ZONE  > Output ZONE

What I want to do is really very simple but I'm getting buried in the detail in books, now i fear I cannot see the "wood for the trees"  as a test I have this code

def findinterface(IPADDRESS):
    print(etree.tostring(dev.rpc.get_route_information(destination='8.8.8.8'), encoding='unicode'))

interface=findinterface("8.8.8.8")

 My question is very simple

this is the output  how can I isolate 
<via>ge-0/0/0.0</via> 

so interface=ge-0/0/0.0  something like that 

How can I in simplest terms pick out the individual data elements I'm interested in ?

I'm really not a programmer so after the simplest most readable solutions.   

<route-information xmlns="http://xml.juniper.net/junos/12.1X44/junos-routing" xmlns:junos="http://xml.juniper.net/junos/12.1X44/junos" xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"><route-table><table-name>inet.0</table-name>
<destination-count>3</destination-count>
<total-route-count>3</total-route-count>
<active-route-count>3</active-route-count>
<holddown-route-count>0</holddown-route-count>
<hidden-route-count>0</hidden-route-count>
<rt style="brief"><rt-destination>0.0.0.0/0</rt-destination>
<rt-entry><active-tag>*</active-tag>
<current-active/>
<last-active/>
<protocol-name>Static</protocol-name>
<preference>5</preference>
<age seconds="4375755">7w1d 15:29:15</age>
<nh><selected-next-hop/>
<to>172.27.233.1</to>
<via>ge-0/0/0.0</via>
</nh>
</rt-entry>
</rt>
</route-table>
</route-information>

Thanks in advance

Simon Bingham

------------------------------
Simon Bingham
------------------------------

I got there in the end,  this is the answer to my own question. 

from lxml import etree
from jnpr.junos import Device
import jxmlease
parser=jxmlease.Parser()

dev = Device(host='172.27.233.17', user='root', password='XXXXXXX')
from pprint import pprint

dev.open()

def findinterface(IPADDRESS):
    result=(etree.tostring(dev.rpc.get_route_information(destination=IPADDRESS), encoding='unicode'))
    xml = jxmlease.parse(result)
    interface = xml['route-information']['route-table']['rt']['rt-entry']['nh']['via']
    return(interface)

interface=findinterface('8.8.8.8')
print(interface)

------------------------------
Simon Bingham
------------------------------

def findinterface(IPADDRESS):
    print(etree.tostring(dev.rpc.get_route_information(destination='8.8.8.8'), encoding='unicode'))

interface=findinterface("8.8.8.8")

<route-information xmlns="http://xml.juniper.net/junos/12.1X44/junos-routing" xmlns:junos="http://xml.juniper.net/junos/12.1X44/junos" xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0"><route-table><table-name>inet.0</table-name>
<destination-count>3</destination-count>
<total-route-count>3</total-route-count>
<active-route-count>3</active-route-count>
<holddown-route-count>0</holddown-route-count>
<hidden-route-count>0</hidden-route-count>
<rt style="brief"><rt-destination>0.0.0.0/0</rt-destination>
<rt-entry><active-tag>*</active-tag>
<current-active/>
<last-active/>
<protocol-name>Static</protocol-name>
<preference>5</preference>
<age seconds="4375755">7w1d 15:29:15</age>
<nh><selected-next-hop/>
<to>172.27.233.1</to>
<via>ge-0/0/0.0</via>
</nh>
</rt-entry>
</rt>
</route-table>
</route-information>