# Is really no one interested? - Thread: https://externals.io/message/19856 - Original archive: https://news-web.php.net/php.internals/19856 - Started by Marian Kostadinov on 2005-10-31T09:16:21+00:00 - Messages: 8 - Reply by email to internals@lists.php.net - More for agents: search with https://externals.io/search.md?q={query} · JSON API at https://externals.io/api · documentation at https://externals.io/llms.txt --- ## #19856 — Marian Kostadinov — 2005-10-31T09:16:21+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/19856#19856 This is related to feature request 34839. [12 Oct 7:58pm CEST] stochnagara at hotmail dot com Description: ------------ The class SimpleXMLElement is wonderful and provides a great functionality. But I need to extend it and I don't have a way to determine whether a given SimpleXMLElement is an attribute, an element, a CDATA section and so on. So I suggest adding methods getName() and `getType()`. getName() returns element's name for elements, attribute's name for attributes and so on. `getType()` returns SimpleXMLElement::ELEMENT and so on. Maybe it is late for 5.1.0 but 5.1.1 is a good place for this to appear. --- ## #19857 — Christian Stocker — 2005-10-31T09:19:38+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/19856#19857 · In reply to: #19856 > This is related to feature request 34839. > > [12 Oct 7:58pm CEST] stochnagara at hotmail dot com > > Description: > ------------ > The class SimpleXMLElement is wonderful and provides a great > functionality. > But I need to extend it and I don't have a way to determine whether a > given SimpleXMLElement is an attribute, an element, a CDATA section and > so on. > > So I suggest adding methods getName() and `getType()`. getName() returns > element's name for elements, attribute's name for attributes and so on. > `getType()` returns SimpleXMLElement::ELEMENT and so on. SimpleXML is meant to be simple and the desicion was made to keep its API short. Use DOM if you want those more advanced features (there's `dom_import_simplexml()` and `simplexml_import_dom()` for easy and fast switching between those 2) chregu > > > > > Maybe it is late for 5.1.0 but 5.1.1 is a good place for this to appear. > -- christian stocker | Bitflux GmbH | schoeneggstrasse 5 | ch-8004 zurich phone +41 1 240 56 70 | mobile +41 76 561 88 60 | fax +41 1 240 56 71 http://www.bitflux.ch | christian.stocker@bitflux.ch | GPG 0x5CE1DECB --- ## #19858 — Marian Kostadinov — 2005-10-31T09:27:27+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/19856#19858 · In reply to: #19857 > SimpleXML is meant to be simple and the desicion was made to keep its > API short. Use DOM if you want those more advanced features (there's > `dom_import_simplexml()` and `simplexml_import_dom()` for easy and fast > switching between those 2) > > chregu SimpleXML is simple and that is great. But such a CORE functionality like getting a SimpleXML node own name and type is not available. It's funny that one can access absolutely everything about a node children, attributes and so on very easily and intuitively, but cannot access node's own name:) --- ## #19868 — Petar Nedyalkov — 2005-11-01T07:21:01+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/19856#19868 · In reply to: #19858 > > […] > > SimpleXML is simple and that is great. But such a CORE functionality > like getting a SimpleXML node own name and type is not available. > It's funny that one can access absolutely everything about a node > children, attributes and so on very easily and intuitively, but cannot > access node's own name:) I don't think it's a core feature since the tree hierarchy of the XML is well defined and you have a well-formed DTD. As Christian spotted - the DOM functionallities could serve you well. The basic and simple API attracts so much users, let's keep it this way. -- Cyberly yours, Petar Nedyalkov Devoted Orbitel Fan :-) PGP ID: 7AE45436 PGP Public Key: http://bu.orbitel.bg/pgp/bu.asc PGP Fingerprint: 7923 8D52 B145 02E8 6F63 8BDA 2D3F 7C0B 7AE4 5436 --- ## #19871 — Marian Kostadinov — 2005-11-01T07:48:13+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/19856#19871 · In reply to: #19868 Who says that I have a well-formed DTD? DTD is not necessary in many cases. I will illustrate with example why DOM is too "complex" ... compared to SimpleXML. hi1'; $xml2 = 'hi2'; $sxe1 = new SimpleXMLElement ($xml1); $sxe2 = new SimpleXMLElement ($xml2); //Easy access to a node. It's great! echo $sxe1->a->b->c->d; echo $sxe2->a->b->c->d; //But how can I understand what is the name of the root node? $dom_sxe = dom_import_simplexml($sxe1); //Hooray, we've got node name echo $dom_sxe->nodeName; //And what happens if element sequence changes? . echo $dom_sxe->childNodes->item(1)->firstChild->firstChild->firstChild->nodeValue; //... hm... I prefer SimpleXML. --- ## #19872 — Christian Stocker — 2005-11-01T07:51:07+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/19856#19872 · In reply to: #19871 > Who says that I have a well-formed DTD? DTD is not necessary in many > cases. I will illustrate with example why DOM is too "complex" ... > compared to SimpleXML. > > //These are my 2 XML documents. No DTD - just a simple xml structure. > $xml1 = 'hi1'; > $xml2 = 'hi2'; > > $sxe1 = new SimpleXMLElement ($xml1); > $sxe2 = new SimpleXMLElement ($xml2); > > //Easy access to a node. It's great! > echo $sxe1->a->b->c->d; > echo $sxe2->a->b->c->d; > > //But how can I understand what is the name of the root node? > $dom_sxe = dom_import_simplexml($sxe1); > > //Hooray, we've got node name > echo $dom_sxe->nodeName; > > //And what happens if element sequence changes? . > echo $dom_sxe->childNodes->item(1)->firstChild->firstChild->firstChild->nodeValue; > //... hm... I prefer SimpleXML. use xpath :) as easy as simplexml and much more powerfull, IMHO and noone said you should use exclusively dom. chregu -- christian stocker | Bitflux GmbH | schoeneggstrasse 5 | ch-8004 zurich phone +41 1 240 56 70 | mobile +41 76 561 88 60 | fax +41 1 240 56 71 http://www.bitflux.ch | christian.stocker@bitflux.ch | GPG 0x5CE1DECB --- ## #19873 — Petar Nedyalkov — 2005-11-01T08:04:33+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/19856#19873 · In reply to: #19871 > Who says that I have a well-formed DTD? DTD is not necessary in many > cases. I will illustrate with example why DOM is too "complex" ... > compared to SimpleXML. Well, If you are free to change the XML structure at any time - where's the point in wondering if an element is a parameter, a CDATA or an element? You can change everything to element and CDATA and that's all. If you have a fixed XML structure, that's not supposed to change, having a DTD is obligatory in orther to maintain consistency of the format. So, you can either work without using getType (since you define the XML structure yourself), or use a more complex API that will serve you well. > > //These are my 2 XML documents. No DTD - just a simple xml structure. > $xml1 = 'hi1'; > $xml2 = 'hi2'; > > $sxe1 = new SimpleXMLElement ($xml1); > $sxe2 = new SimpleXMLElement ($xml2); > > //Easy access to a node. It's great! > echo $sxe1->a->b->c->d; > echo $sxe2->a->b->c->d; > > //But how can I understand what is the name of the root node? > $dom_sxe = dom_import_simplexml($sxe1); > > //Hooray, we've got node name > echo $dom_sxe->nodeName; > > //And what happens if element sequence changes? . > echo > $dom_sxe->childNodes->item(1)->firstChild->firstChild->firstChild->nodeValu >e; //... hm... I prefer SimpleXML. -- Cyberly yours, Petar Nedyalkov Devoted Orbitel Fan :-) PGP ID: 7AE45436 PGP Public Key: http://bu.orbitel.bg/pgp/bu.asc PGP Fingerprint: 7923 8D52 B145 02E8 6F63 8BDA 2D3F 7C0B 7AE4 5436 --- ## #19881 — Rob Richards — 2005-11-01T11:35:14+00:00 URL: https://externals.io/message/19856#19881 · In reply to: #19871 Marian Kostadinov wrote: >//But how can I understand what is the name of the root node? >$dom_sxe = dom_import_simplexml($sxe1); > >//Hooray, we've got node name >echo $dom_sxe->nodeName; > >//And what happens if element sequence changes? . >echo $dom_sxe->childNodes->item(1)->firstChild->firstChild->firstChild->nodeValue; >//... hm... I prefer SimpleXML. > > The API is to be kept simple and what you are asking for can be done extending the SimpleXMLElement and the functions are a whole 1 line of user code: nodeName; } function `getType()` { return dom_import_simplexml($this)->nodeType; } } $xml = ''; $sxe = simplexml_load_string($xml, 'cNode'); print $sxe->getName()."\n"; print $sxe->getType()."\n"; ?> Of course XPath could be used in place of DOM too though. Rob