# Visual Studio project files malformed XML
**URL:** https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/visual-studio-project-files-malformed-xml/1235
**Category:** Discussion
**Created:** [June 15, 2009, 9:47am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/visual-studio-project-files-malformed-xml/1235 "2009-06-15T09:47:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@deleted\_user](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/deleted_user)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2009, 9:47am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/visual-studio-project-files-malformed-xml/1235/1 "2009-06-15T09:47:35Z")
Hi,
I'm trying to read the value of the OutputType node in the Visual Studio .csproj file below:
Library
I would expect the XPath //Project/PropertyGroup/OutputType would give me the value but Finalbuilder can not find the node. After trying different workarounds, I realized that if I replace xmlns= with xmlns:x= in the first line, the XPath is correct and the value is returned.
I don't know enough about XML namespace definitions or the XPath definitions to tell if this is a bug or expected behaviour, but it seems strange. I would expect that Visual Studio project files contains well-formed XML.
Regards,
Rasmus Aaen
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### Author:  [@Vincent](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/Vincent)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2009, 10:27am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/visual-studio-project-files-malformed-xml/1235/2 "2009-06-15T10:27:15Z")
MSXML forces you to use namespaces when a default namespace is declared in the document node. In the XML Parser tab, check the checkbox "Automatically use namespace prefixes declared in the document root node" and specify a prefix to use, for example : x
Then in the XPath statement you need to use the namespace :
`//x:Project/x:PropertyGroup/x:OutputType `
HTH