I'm confused, what does the last post have to do with the one before it? If you have separate questions can you start a fresh post for each?
For the last post you need xmlDoc.getElementsByTagName("instructions")[0].childNodes[0].childNodes[0].nodeValue, for the previous one you need paramet/para1/@text and the string value of paramet/para1. Otherwise try to provide a clearer description of what you currently have and what exactly you need.
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Joe (
Microsoft MVP - XML)