I need to create a new XML file and write that to my server. So, I am looking for the best way to create a new XML file, write some base nodes to it, save it. Then open it again and write more data.
I have been using file_put_contents() to save the file. But, to create a new one and write some base nodes I am not sure of the best method.
Ideas?
DOMDocument is a great choice. It's a module specifically designed for creating and manipulating XML documents. You can create a document from scratch, or open existing documents (or strings) and navigate and modify their structures.
$xml = new DOMDocument();
$xml_album = $xml->createElement("Album");
$xml_track = $xml->createElement("Track");
$xml_album->appendChild( $xml_track );
$xml->appendChild( $xml_album );
$xml->save("/tmp/test.xml");
To re-open and write:
$xml = new DOMDocument();
$xml->load('/tmp/test.xml');
$nodes = $xml->getElementsByTagName('Album') ;
if ($nodes->length > 0) {
//insert some stuff using appendChild()
}
//re-save
$xml->save("/tmp/test.xml");
PHP has several libraries for XML Manipulation.
The Document Object Model (DOM) approach (which is a W3C standard and should be familiar if you've used it in other environments such as a Web Browser or Java, etc). Allows you to create documents as follows
<?php
$doc = new DOMDocument( );
$ele = $doc->createElement( 'Root' );
$ele->nodeValue = 'Hello XML World';
$doc->appendChild( $ele );
$doc->save('MyXmlFile.xml');
?>
Even if you haven't come across the DOM before, it's worth investing some time in it as the model is used in many languages/environments.