Does XmlTextWriter encode HTML?

[darrel]

I'm trying to get ASP.net to write out some XML including HTML from a DB:

The HTML is stored in the DB as encoded HTML. I'm trying to decode it and
write it to an XML node (The HTML is valid XML). I have this:

objXMLWriter.Wr iteElementStrin g("text",
Trim(System.Web .HttpContext.Cu rrent.Server.Ht mlDecode(DS.Tab les(0).Rows(row Count)("itemTex t").ToString )))

But in the XML file, it's still coming out encoded. It appears that the
XmlTextWriter encodes HTML content by default, as I can write out
System.Web.Http Context.Current .Server.HtmlDec ode(DS.Tables(0 ).Rows(rowCount )("itemText").T oString
to screen and it comes out fine (not encoded). Anyway to turn this off?

_Darrel

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[Oleg Tkachenko [MVP]]

Re: Does XmlTextWriter encode HTML?

darrel wrote:

I'm trying to get ASP.net to write out some XML including HTML from a DB:
>
The HTML is stored in the DB as encoded HTML. I'm trying to decode it and
write it to an XML node (The HTML is valid XML). I have this:
>
objXMLWriter.Wr iteElementStrin g("text",
Trim(System.Web .HttpContext.Cu rrent.Server.Ht mlDecode(DS.Tab les(0).Rows(row Count)("itemTex t").ToString )))
>
But in the XML file, it's still coming out encoded. It appears that the
XmlTextWriter encodes HTML content by default, as I can write out
System.Web.Http Context.Current .Server.HtmlDec ode(DS.Tables(0 ).Rows(rowCount )("itemText").T oString
to screen and it comes out fine (not encoded). Anyway to turn this off?

That's because you are using WriteElementStr ing() method. It writes text
to XML and in XML text characters & and < must be encoded.
Use WriteRaw() instead to write your HTML as is. But then you need to
make sure that your HTML is actually well-formed (XHTML) otherwise
you'll end up with malformed XML document.

--
Oleg Tkachenko [XML MVP, MCPD]
http://blog.tkachenko.com | http://www.XmlLab.Net | http://www.XLinq.Net

[darrel]

Re: Does XmlTextWriter encode HTML?

That's because you are using WriteElementStr ing() method. It writes text

to XML and in XML text characters & and < must be encoded.

This seems to contradict what I'v ebeen told previously. I was under the
impression that XHTML is just fine as-is in an XML file.

Use WriteRaw() instead to write your HTML as is. But then you need to make
sure that your HTML is actually well-formed (XHTML) otherwise you'll end
up with malformed XML document.

Ah. Gotcha. Thanks!

-Darrel

[Oleg Tkachenko [MVP]]

Re: Does XmlTextWriter encode HTML?

darrel wrote:

>That's because you are using WriteElementStr ing() method. It writes text
>to XML and in XML text characters & and < must be encoded.

>
This seems to contradict what I'v ebeen told previously. I was under the
impression that XHTML is just fine as-is in an XML file.

XHTML is ok. XHTML is XML after all. But text in XML can't contain & and
< characters. So whenever you write text into XML using
WriteElementStr ing(), XmlWriter takes care and encodes & and <.

--
Oleg Tkachenko [XML MVP, MCPD]
http://blog.tkachenko.com | http://www.XmlLab.Net | http://www.XLinq.Net

[darrel]

Re: Does XmlTextWriter encode HTML?

XHTML is ok. XHTML is XML after all. But text in XML can't contain & and <

characters. So whenever you write text into XML using
WriteElementStr ing(), XmlWriter takes care and encodes & and <.

So WriteElementStr ing treats any HTML as just that...HTML...a nd doesn't care
that it might be valid XHTML?

-Darrel

[darrel]

Re: Does XmlTextWriter encode HTML?

So WriteElementStr ing treats any HTML as just that...HTML...a nd doesn't

care that it might be valid XHTML?

Well, if I use writeRaw() for that one elememt, I get plain XHTML. Alas, it
completely destroys the entire XML documents indent formatting, making it
kind of messy to read by hand. Not a huge deal, just another annyance I
guess.

-Darrel

[Oleg Tkachenko [MVP]]

Re: Does XmlTextWriter encode HTML?

darrel wrote:

>XHTML is ok. XHTML is XML after all. But text in XML can't contain & and <
>characters. So whenever you write text into XML using
>WriteElementSt ring(), XmlWriter takes care and encodes & and <.

>
So WriteElementStr ing treats any HTML as just that...HTML...a nd doesn't care
that it might be valid XHTML?

WriteElementStr ing() method knows nothing about HTML or XHTML. It
accepts element name and string value and writes out element with that
string as text value. That's its responsibility to encode string value
properly as per XML encoding rules.

--
Oleg Tkachenko [XML MVP, MCPD]
http://blog.tkachenko.com | http://www.XmlLab.Net | http://www.XLinq.Net

[Oleg Tkachenko [MVP]]

Re: Does XmlTextWriter encode HTML?

darrel wrote:

>So WriteElementStr ing treats any HTML as just that...HTML...a nd doesn't
>care that it might be valid XHTML?

>
Well, if I use writeRaw() for that one elememt, I get plain XHTML. Alas, it
completely destroys the entire XML documents indent formatting, making it
kind of messy to read by hand. Not a huge deal, just another annyance I
guess.

The proper way would be to create XmlReader over your XHTML snippet and
call xmlWriter.Write Node(xmlReader, false).


--
Oleg Tkachenko [XML MVP, MCPD]
http://blog.tkachenko.com | http://www.XmlLab.Net | http://www.XLinq.Net

[Martin Honnen]

Re: Does XmlTextWriter encode HTML?

darrel wrote:

Well, if I use writeRaw() for that one elememt, I get plain XHTML. Alas, it
completely destroys the entire XML documents indent formatting, making it
kind of messy to read by hand. Not a huge deal, just another annyance I
guess.

Have you tried to use ReadNode to feed your string of XHTML through an
XmlReader? That way you might be able to insert the string of XHTML into
the document your XmlWriter creates maintaining the current indentation
of the complete document the XmlWriter writes e.g.

XmlWriterSettin gs writerSettings = new XmlWriterSettin gs();
writerSettings. Indent = true;
using (XmlWriter xmlWriter = XmlWriter.Creat e(Console.Out,
writerSettings) ) {
xmlWriter.Write StartDocument() ;
xmlWriter.Write StartElement("r oot");
xmlWriter.Write StartElement("c hild");
XmlReaderSettin gs readerSettings = new XmlReaderSettin gs();
readerSettings. IgnoreWhitespac e = true;
xmlWriter.Write Node(XmlReader. Create(new StringReader(@" <html
xmlns=""http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"" xml:lang=""en"" >
<head>
<title>Exampl e</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>Kibology for all.</p>
</body>
</html>"), readerSettings) , true);
xmlWriter.Write EndDocument();
}

outputs

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<root>
<child>
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en">
<head>
<title>Exampl e</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>Kibology for all.</p>
</body>
</html>
</child>
</root>

where the XHTML inserted is indented according to the surrounding elements.




--

Martin Honnen --- MVP XML

http://JavaScript.FAQTs.com/

[darrel]

Re: Does XmlTextWriter encode HTML?

Have you tried to use ReadNode to feed your string of XHTML through an

XmlReader?

Oleg/Martin:

Thanks! I haven't tried that.

How would I take a ds field and read that into an XML reader?

I need to grab the XHTML from the database:

System.Web.Http Context.Current .Server.HtmlDec ode(DS.Tables(0 ).Rows(rowCount )("itemText").T oString

I can't seem to just read that in with an xmlreader.

-Darrel