PHP and XML

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XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language which serves to store and transmit data in a structured way that humans can easily read. The XML language finds extensive application in configuration files and RSS feeds as well as web services such as SOAP.

php-and-xml

How PHP Works with XML

Method Description
SimpleXML Easy-to-use and beginner-friendly
DOMDocument More powerful, supports XML manipulation
XMLReader Streaming parser, memory efficient

Reading XML with SimpleXML

<users>
    <user>
        <name>Alice</name>
        <email>alice@example.com</email>
    </user>
    <user>
        <name>Bob</name>
        <email>bob@example.com</email>
    </user>
</users>

PHP Code:

<?php
$xml = simplexml_load_file("data.xml");

foreach ($xml->user as $user) {
    echo "Name: " . $user->name . "<br>";
    echo "Email: " . $user->email . "<br><br>";
}
?>

Reading XML from a String

$xmlString = <<<XML
<book>
  <title>PHP Basics</title>
  <author>John Doe</author>
</book>
XML;

$xml = simplexml_load_string($xmlString);
echo $xml->title;  // Output: PHP Basics

Creating XML with SimpleXMLElement

$xml = new SimpleXMLElement("<users></users>");
$user = $xml->addChild("user");
$user->addChild("name", "Charlie");
$user->addChild("email", "charlie@example.com");

Header('Content-type: text/xml');
echo $xml->asXML();
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