Using PHP with XML (part 1) (
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By separating content from presentation, XML offers Web developers a powerful
alternative to traditional HTML technology...and when you combine that with PHP,
you have a truly compelling new set of tools. In this article, find out how PHP's
SAX parser can be used to parse XML data and generate HTML Web pages.You've probably already heard about XML, Extensible Markup Language - it's been
the subject of many water-cooler conversations over the past year and a half.
You may even have seen an XML document in action, complete with user-defined tags
and markup, and you've probably heard about the Holy Grail of the XML effort -
using a single marked-up XML data source to generate complex documents in HTML,
WML or other formats.
The strange thing about XML, though, is that it's very hard to figure out where
to start. It doesn't take long to figure out the basics of creating an XML file,
or the rules for XML markup. However, that's where most novice developers hit
a brick wall; XML documentation often fails to clearly explain the logical next
step, preferring instead to focus on the technical aspects of the language itself.
The situation can be frustrating - imagine an automobile manual filled with technical
details on the types of nuts and bolts used, rather than driver instructions and
cautions - and the excessive jargon only adds to the overall confusion.
Over the next few pages, I will be attempting to rectify this a little bit, with
an explanation of how you can use PHP to read your XML data and convert it into
browser-readable HTML. I'll also spend some time explaining the different methods
of parsing XML data, and the PHP implementation of each of these, together with
a brief note on how all the pieces fit together.
I'll try and keep it simple - I'm going to use very simple XML sources, so you
don't have to worry about namespaces, DTDs and PIs - although I will assume that
you know the basic rules of XML markup, and of PHP scripting. And, of course,
I'll assume that you have a sense of humour and will laugh at the appropriate
places.
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