How to convert XML to array using PHP

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a format commonly used for data storage and transmission, and PHP is a commonly used programming language that can handle XML data. PHP allows developers to convert XML data into arrays, making data operations more convenient and flexible. In this article, we will introduce how to convert XML to array using PHP.

1. Using PHP's simple XML extension

PHP provides an extension called simple XML, which can convert XML files into objects or arrays. It provides some easy methods to help developers quickly process XML data.

1. Load XML files into objects

Use the simplexml_load_file() function to load XML files into a SimpleXMLElement object. For example, we have an XML file called "data.xml" with the following content:

<?xml  version="1.0"?>
<data>
    <item>
        <name>Apple</name>
        <price>1.50</price>
    </item>
    <item>
        <name>Banana</name>
        <price>0.75</price>
    </item>
    <item>
        <name>Orange</name>
        <price>2.00</price>
    </item>
</data>

We can load it into a SimpleXMLElement object using the following code:

$xml = simplexml_load_file('data.xml');

2. Convert XML object to array

We can use the built-in function simplexml_load_string() to convert the SimpleXMLElement object to an array. For example:

$array = json_decode(json_encode((array)$xml), true);

In the above code, we use a function named json_decode() to convert the XML object into a PHP object, then use json_encode() to convert the PHP object into a JSON format string, and finally use The (json_decode($string, true) function converts a JSON-formatted string into a PHP array.

3. Use a foreach loop to traverse the array

When we convert XML to PHP When using an array, we can use a foreach loop to traverse the array and read the attributes and values ​​of each node. For example, the following code can print out all the fruit names in the "data.xml" file:

foreach ($array['item'] as $item) {
    echo $item['name'] . "\n";
}

2. Using DOM extension

PHP also provides an extension called DOM, which can also convert XML files into arrays, but it is more flexible and can achieve more functions. It is important to understand the basic knowledge of DOM parser .

1. Load XML files into DOM objects

Use the DOMDocument class to load XML files into a DOM object. For example, we have a file named "data.xml "XML file, you can load it with the following code:

$doc = new DOMDocument();
$doc->load('data.xml');

2. Convert XML object to array

We can use the following code to convert the DOM object to an array:

$array = array();
foreach ($doc->getElementsByTagName('*') as $node) {
    if ($node->childNodes->length === 1) {
        $array[$node->nodeName] = $node->nodeValue;
    } else {
        $array[$node->nodeName][] = $node->nodeValue;
    }
}

The above code uses the getElementsByTagName() method to get all the nodes in the DOM object, and then uses a foreach loop to traverse them. For each node, we first check whether it has only one child node. If so, The node name and node value are saved into an array. If not, save the node name as a key and the node value as a value. Finally, we return the array.

3. Use a foreach loop to traverse the array

When we convert XML to a PHP array, we can use a foreach loop to traverse the array and read the attributes and values ​​of each node. For example, the following code can convert all fruit names in the "data.xml" file Print it out:

foreach ($array['item'] as $item) {
    echo $item['name'] . "\n";
}

3. Summary

In this article, we introduced how to use PHP to convert an XML file into an array. We showed two different methods: Using simple XML Extensions and DOM extensions. Simple XML extensions are easier to use, while DOM extensions are more flexible and can implement more functions. No matter which method is chosen, converting XML data into an array allows us to manipulate the data more conveniently, and at the same time It can also improve development efficiency.

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