PHP SimpleXML: Function Load_File

PHP Version: PHP 5

Description

Sometimes it is required to convert your well-formed XML document into a simpleXML object. simplexml_load_file() converts you XML file into an object so that you can manipulate your file as a XML object. To simplify things, an external file is used to contain the XML strings, and read them with the simplexml_load_file() function. For example if you want to read an XML file such as the one you created during the very beginning of XML document creation part of this tutorial. domxml_open_file() function creates a DOM object from XML file.

Usage:

objectsimplexml_load_file ( string filename [, string class_name])

This function will convert the well-formed XML document in the file specified by filename to an object of class SimpleXMLElement. If any errors occur during file access or interpretation, the function returns FALSE.

Example:

The XML file contains.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<Persons>

<Person>

<First>Test1n</First>

<Title>Mr.</Title>

<Last>Test2</Last>

<Phone>1111</Phone>

<Email>Test1@yahoo.com</Email>

</Person>

<Person>

<First>Test3</First>

<Title>Mr.</Title>

<Last>Test3</Last>

<Phone>1111</Phone>

<Email>test2@yahoo.com</Email>

</Person>

</Persons>

The PHP code is :

The above file is stored in E:/topxml/person.xml.

$default_dir = "E:/topxml/person.xml";

$Persons = simplexml_load_file($default_dir);

//var_dump($Persons);

foreach($Persons->Person as $person_key => $person_val){

echo "The root element <B>Persons</B> contains an element named

<B>$person_key</B><BR>";

}

Output:

The root element Persons contains an element named Person
The root element Persons contains an element named Person

How it Works:

$Persons = simplexml_load_file($default_dir);

The $Persons variable contains an object that can be used much like an ordinary array. To get the names and values from the variable, use the foreachstatement to return keys and values, just like with an ordinary array:

foreach($Persons->Person as $person_key => $person_val){

echo "The root element <B>Persons</B> contains an element named

<B>$person_key</B><BR>";

}

In fact you can use var_dump() function to see the content

var_dump($Persons);