alternate to simplexml_load_string() in php4

Question

Im using this function simplexml_load_string() in my file which is doing search lucene based. But its not working in php4.

please suggest me a function similar to this one so that i dont have to change my coding much.

this is the sample of my code :-

function handleResponse($data) 
    {
     if ($data) 
     {
      $xml = simplexml_load_string($data);
      $results = array();
      foreach ($xml->result->doc as $story) 
      {
       $xmlarray = array();
       try
       {
        foreach ($story as $item) 
        {
         $name = $item->attributes()->name;
         $value = $item;
         $xmlarray["$name"] = "$value";
        }
       } 
       catch (Exception $e) 
       {
        echo 'Problem handling XML array.'; 
       }
       if ($this->debug) echo "checking if ".$xmlarray['score']." > ".$this->min_score;
       if ($xmlarray['score'] > $this->min_score) $results[] = $xmlarray;
      }
      $results['response']=$xml->result->attributes()->numFound;
     }
     else
     {
      $results=false;
     }
     return $results;
    }

here $data is having data in xml format like

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

<lst name="responseHeader">
 <int name="status">0</int>
 <int name="QTime">2</int>
 <lst name="params">
  <str name="explainOther"/>
  <str name="fl">*,score</str>

  <str name="indent">on</str>
  <str name="start">0</str>
  <str name="q">reliance</str>
  <str name="hl.fl"/>
  <str name="qt">dismax</str>
  <str name="wt">dismax</str>

  <str name="version">2.2</str>
  <str name="rows">10</str>
 </lst>
</lst>
<result name="response" numFound="5" start="0" maxScore="1.7840868">
 <doc>
  <float name="score">1.7840868</float>
  <str name="scheme_name">Reliance Diversified Power Sector Fund - Growth</str>

  <str name="scheme_nav">75.23</str>
 </doc>
 <doc>
  <float name="score">1.7840868</float>
  <str name="scheme_name">Reliance Diversified Power Sector Fund - Growth</str>
  <str name="scheme_nav">75.23</str>
 </doc>
</result>
</response>

please suugest some function similar to simplexml_load_string() in php4 so that i can be escaped from changing my coding.

Answer 1

PHP4 does not support exceptions. Try removing the try...catch block.
Edit: also (credit goes to the comment below), the SimpleXML extension is PHP5-only. In PHP4 you should use the XML Parser extension, but that also means you will have to change your code a lot. A simple Google search gives a link to a tutorial on how this extension is used.

Answer 2

I hate it myself when people tell me to update my environment instead of just answering my question, but is there no way to switch to PHP5? PHP4 is really, really outdated by now and in my mind not fit for new projects any more. PHP5 brings native XML support, while the PHP4 solutions are all quite slow.

Answer 3

I have not used this class myself, but phpClasses.org is sporting a simpleXML implementation for PHP4 that looks quite ok:

http://www.phpclasses.org/browse/package/4484.html