xml parsing

[lnatz]

I need to parse a configuration file using xml. How do I retrieve the
data between the elements? For example, if my configuration file was
organized in the following manner:

<configFile>
<server_nameNY_ ONLINE </server_name>
<databaseSchedu lers </database>
<tableSched_Inf o </table>
<user_columnuse rID </user_column>
<delete_columnD eleted </delete_column>
<delete_value 2 </delete_value>
</configFile>

And would the textContent() function be needed? I considered doing the
following:

$server = "server_nam e";
my $parser = XML::LibXML->new();
my $doc = $parser->parse_file($co nfigFile);
my $docRoot = $doc->getDocumentEle ment();
my @configs = $docRoot->getChildrenByT agName($server) ;
$dbserver= @configs[0] ->textContent( );

I don't think it is properly written though and I don't think it would
work, but would that be something close to the proper way of parsing
the configuration file?

Thanks in advance,
Natalie

[Joseph Kesselman]

Re: xml parsing

lnatz wrote:

I need to parse a configuration file using xml. How do I retrieve the
data between the elements?

If you're parsing using SAX, that's returned as characters() events
(possibly multiple events per contiguous chunk of text; forgetting to
allow for that is the single most common SAX error).

If you're parsing into a DOM, that's returned as Text node children of
the Element node that encloses them.

And would the textContent() function be needed?

That funtion isn't a part of either of those two standard APIs, so I
can't advise.

--
Joe Kesselman / Beware the fury of a patient man. -- John Dryden

[Jürgen Kahrs]

Re: xml parsing

lnatz wrote:

I need to parse a configuration file using xml. How do I retrieve the
data between the elements? For example, if my configuration file was
organized in the following manner:
>
<configFile>
<server_nameNY_ ONLINE </server_name>
<databaseSchedu lers </database>
<tableSched_Inf o </table>
<user_columnuse rID </user_column>
<delete_columnD eleted </delete_column>
<delete_value 2 </delete_value>
</configFile>

Why dont you put the data into attributes ?
Something like

<configFile servername="NY ONLINE" database="Sched ulers">
...
</configFile>

[lnatz]

Re: xml parsing

I did not want to put the data into attribute because I read that an
attribute is meant to describe the data in the elements. It is not
proper coding to make the whole configuration file an attribute like :

<configFile servername="NY ONLINE" database="Sched ulers">
...
</configFile>

But to respond to Joseph Kesselman..I'm using SAX but I just don't
understand which functions to use to extract the data. For example:
<server_nameNY_ ONLINE </server_name>
How can I get the "NY_ONLINE" ? Can I use character(), is that what you
mean? And what do you mean by :

(possibly multiple events per contiguous chunk of text; forgetting to
allow for that is the single most common SAX error).
>

[lnatz]

Re: xml parsing

I did not want to put the data into attribute because I read that an
attribute is meant to describe the data in the elements. It is not
proper coding to make the whole configuration file an attribute like :

<configFile servername="NY ONLINE" database="Sched ulers">
...
</configFile>

But to respond to Joseph Kesselman..I'm using SAX but I just don't
understand which functions to use to extract the data. For example:
<server_nameNY_ ONLINE </server_name>
How can I get the "NY_ONLINE" ? Can I use character(), is that what you
mean? And what do you mean by :

(possibly multiple events per contiguous chunk of text; forgetting to
allow for that is the single most common SAX error).
>

[Jürgen Kahrs]

Re: xml parsing

lnatz wrote:

I did not want to put the data into attribute because I read that an
attribute is meant to describe the data in the elements. It is not
proper coding to make the whole configuration file an attribute like :
>

> <configFile servername="NY ONLINE" database="Sched ulers">
> ...
> </configFile>

Who said that ? I have seen _many_ XML files
where all information is in the attributes.

But to respond to Joseph Kesselman..I'm using SAX but I just don't
understand which functions to use to extract the data. For example:
<server_nameNY_ ONLINE </server_name>

Maybe you give an example telling us what you
want to do with the data. Dont get stuck when
you run into details that arent essential.

[Johannes Koch]

Re: xml parsing

Joseph Kesselman wrote:

lnatz wrote:

>And would the textContent() function be needed?

>
That funtion isn't a part of either of those two standard APIs, so I
can't advise.

textContent is part of DOM 3 Core.
--
Johannes Koch
Spem in alium nunquam habui praeter in te, Deus Israel.
(Thomas Tallis, 40-part motet)

[lnatz]

Re: xml parsing

I figured it all out using XML::Simple, but thank you very much for
your help.

[Joseph Kesselman]

Re: xml parsing

>But to respond to Joseph Kesselman..I'm using SAX but I just don't

>understand which functions to use to extract the data. For example:
<server_nameNY_ ONLINE </server_name>
How can I get the "NY_ONLINE" ?

Any good SAX tutorial should show you exactly how to do this. For
example, you might want to read through

http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/edu/x-dw-xusax-i.html

--
Joe Kesselman / Beware the fury of a patient man. -- John Dryden

[William Park]

Re: xml parsing

lnatz <nmrabinovich@g mail.comwrote:

I need to parse a configuration file using xml. How do I retrieve the
data between the elements? For example, if my configuration file was
organized in the following manner:
>
<configFile>
<server_nameNY_ ONLINE </server_name>
<databaseSchedu lers </database>
<tableSched_Inf o </table>
<user_columnuse rID </user_column>
<delete_columnD eleted </delete_column>
<delete_value 2 </delete_value>
</configFile>
>
And would the textContent() function be needed? I considered doing the
following:
>
$server = "server_nam e";
my $parser = XML::LibXML->new();
my $doc = $parser->parse_file($co nfigFile);
my $docRoot = $doc->getDocumentEle ment();
my @configs = $docRoot->getChildrenByT agName($server) ;
$dbserver= @configs[0] ->textContent( );
>
I don't think it is properly written though and I don't think it would
work, but would that be something close to the proper way of parsing
the configuration file?

Not sure what you want to do after extracting the "data", but simple
printing would go something like

func () # Usage: func text
{
case ${XML_TAG_STACK[1]} in
configFile) echo "${XML_TAG_STAC K[0]}={$1}" ;;
esac
}

expat -d func < file.xml

which produces

server_name={ NY_ONLINE }
database={ Schedulers }
table={ Sched_Info }
user_column={ userID }
delete_column={ Deleted }
delete_value={ 2 }

--
William Park <opengeometry@y ahoo.ca>, Toronto, Canada
ThinFlash: Linux thin-client on USB key (flash) drive

http://home.eol.ca/~parkw/thinflash.html

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http://freshmeat.net/projects/bashdiff/