How Can I Parse XML Strings from Variables in JavaScript Across Different Browsers?

XML Parsing for Variable Strings in JavaScript

Parsing XML from a variable string presents a challenge in JavaScript. This article will address this need and provide browser-compatible solutions.

Solution

In modern browsers, the recommended approach is to utilize the DOMParser() interface. The following snippet effectively parses XML strings:

function parseXml(xmlStr) {
   return new window.DOMParser().parseFromString(xmlStr, "text/xml");
}

However, for browsers that may not support DOMParser (e.g., IE <= 8), a fallback solution leveraging ActiveXObject is provided:

var parseXml;

if (typeof window.DOMParser != "undefined") {
    parseXml = function(xmlStr) {
        return new window.DOMParser().parseFromString(xmlStr, "text/xml");
    };
} else if (typeof window.ActiveXObject != "undefined" &&
       new window.ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM")) {
    parseXml = function(xmlStr) {
        var xmlDoc = new window.ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM");
        xmlDoc.async = "false";
        xmlDoc.loadXML(xmlStr);
        return xmlDoc;
    };
} else {
    throw new Error("No XML parser found");
}

Once the XML document is obtained, you can navigate it using standard DOM methods such as childNodes and getElementsByTagName().

jQuery Solution

jQuery, starting from version 1.5, provides a convenient parseXML() method that serves the same purpose as the above code snippets:

var xml = $.parseXML("Stuff");
alert(xml.documentElement.nodeName);
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