How to retrieve children of an xml data?

Question

Hello,

I have some xml data in the format below -

<xyz:reqResponse 
    xmlns:xyz="http://www.test.com/xyz/" 
    xmlns:akt="http://www.exmple.com/akt/"&gt;
  <xyz:version>1.2</xyz:version>
  <xyz:totalRecords>659</xyz:totalRecords>
  <xyz:records>
    <xyz:record>
        <doc>
            <str name="icon_url">http://www.icons.net/icon1.jpg&lt;/str&gt;
            <str name="type">Service</str>
            <arr name="bc.recordTitle"><str>Evergreen Club</str></arr>
            <str name="bc.id">KLM0078</str>
            <str name="system.external.id">787678</str>
            <arr name="bc.description">
                <str>Meetings: Church Hall Beaudesert Lane. Open to anyone over 50.</str>
            </arr>
            <str name="code">X1209</str>
            <double name="localval1">-4.00006</double>
            <double name="localval2">-7.00012</double>
            <date name="timestamp">Wed Jun 02 21:19:33 BST 2010</date>
        </doc>
    </xyz:record>
    <xyz:record>
        <doc>
            <str name="icon_url">http://www.icons.net/icon1.jpg&lt;/str&gt;
            <str name="type">Service</str>
            <arr name="bc.recordTitle"><str>Evergreen Club</str></arr>
            <str name="bc.id">KLM0078</str>
            <str name="system.external.id">787678</str>
            <arr name="bc.description">
                <str>Meetings: Church Hall Beaudesert Lane. Open to anyone over 50.</str>
            </arr>
            <str name="code">X1209</str>
            <double name="localval1">-4.00006</double>
            <double name="localval2">-7.00012</double>
            <date name="timestamp">Wed Jun 02 21:19:33 BST 2010</date>
        </doc>
    </xyz:record>
  </xyz:records>
</xyz:reqResponse>

I do something like

$xml = simplexml_load_string($xml_data);            
$namespaces = $xml->getNameSpaces(true);
$data = $xml->children($namespaces['xyz']);

so if I print

echo $data->totalRecords;  //outputs correctly 659

I am trying to loop through all of the records and access individual fields but have no clue how to do that.

I tried something like

$records = $data->records;
foreach($records as $record) {
    echo print_r($record, true);
}

but it wasnt very helpful.

My questions are - - how to access each <xyz:record> and its sub items (which are <str name="abc">NAbc</str> etc?

With thanks, Kay

Answer 1

When you select $data->records you select all records elements, not the record, I think you should use $data->records->record to iter all record elements.

$records = $data->records->record;
foreach($records as $record){
    $doc = $record->doc;
    //Now here you can access all str elements itering through $doc->str elements.
}

Here is PHP example: SimpleXMLElement

Update (As we say in Italy "You never stop to learn")

You can access xml elements as objects only if they share the same namespace, you can do this:

$docsCollection = $record->children(); //This will retrieve children within default namespace
$strCollection = $docs->doc->str; //Now we are in the same namespace and can reuse above notation

Just for the record.

Answer 2

I would use the xpath() method:

$xml = simplexml_load_string($xml_data);

$xml->registerXPathNamespace('xyz', 'http://www.test.com/xyz/'); 

$recordArr = $xml->xpath('/xyz:reqResponse/xyz:records/xyz:record');

foreach($recordArr as $record) {
    $strArr = $record->xpath('doc/str');

    foreach($strArr as $str) {
        do what you want with $str
    }
}

(Untested.)