[SOLVED] Having Trouble With SimpleXML

[scheda]

Hey all,

 

I'm working on a class that uses SimpleXML to pull data from XML files to display to the user.

 

Here's the bit of code I'm running my head against at the moment.

<?php
class retrieveStats {
	//set XML file
	public $xml_stats = "./visits.xml";

	//load XML file
	$xml = simplexml_load_file($xml_stats);

	public function show_ids() {
		if (count($xml -> hit) > 0) {
			foreach ($xml -> hit as $a) {
				echo $a -> id;
			}//end foreach
		}//end if
	} //end show_ids
}//end class
?>

 

Right now I'm just trying to access to XML file so I can display anything, which is what the show_ids function is supposed to do.

 

Here is the code that's running the files in the class.

 

<?php
require_once("../includes/retrieve-stats.php");
$stats = new retrieveStats;
$stats -> load_xml();
?>

 

 

When running anything in this class, I get the following error.

 

Parse error: parse error, expecting `T_FUNCTION' in C:\wamp\www\revised-statistics\includes\retrieve-stats.php on line 7

 

And I've gotta say, this error is painfully vague.

 

Any ideas that you might have about resolving this issue would be fantastic.

 

Thanks a ton!

[MadTechie]

try this

<?php
   class retrieveStats {
      //set XML file
      public $xml_stats = "./visits.xml";
      private $xml;
      function __construct()
      {
      //load XML file
       	$this->xml = simplexml_load_file($this->xml_stats);
      }
      
      public function show_ids() {
         if (count($this->xml -> hit) > 0) {
            foreach ($this->xml -> hit as $a) {
               echo $a -> id;
            }//end foreach
         }//end if
      } //end show_ids
   }//end class
?>

[Alex]

class retrieveStats {
	//set XML file
	public $xml_stats = "./visits.xml";
	private $xml;

	//load XML file
	public function load_xml()
	{
		$this->xml = simplexml_load_file($this->xml_stats);
	}

	public function show_ids() {
		if (count($this->xml -> hit) > 0) {
			foreach ($this->xml -> hit as $a) {
				echo $a -> id;
			}//end foreach
		}//end if
	} //end show_ids
}//end class

Edit: MadTechie inb4 me.

 

But I put loading the xml file within a load_xml method instead of the construct because in your example you tried to use a load_xml method.

[MadTechie]

@AlexWD only just beat you and you make the same mistake as I did, but I noticed it just as i was about to hit post

$this->xml = simplexml_load_file($xml_stats);

should be

$this->xml = simplexml_load_file($this->xml_stats);

 

BUT when you think about it, it may be better to pass the filename / path across..

 

[scheda]

Hey, thanks! The error's gone.

 

Would you mind giving a short explanation as to what you did to make it work? I'd like to avoid having the same trouble later on.

 

Also, why the double underscore? I did a quick Google on it and all I could find was that it makes things "magical".

[Alex]

@AlexWD only just beat you and you make the same mistake as I did, but I noticed it just as i was about to hit post

$this->xml = simplexml_load_file($xml_stats);

should be

$this->xml = simplexml_load_file($this->xml_stats);

 

BUT when you think about it, it may be better to pass the filename / path across..

I actually noticed and fixed that before you posted that.

 

@OP:

 

The main thing you'll need to know is how to use $this, $this is used inside of a class to access methods or properties within itself. So if a class has a property of $xml, to access that property from within the class you'd do $this->xml

[scheda]

The main thing you'll need to know is how to use $this, $this is used inside of a class to access methods or properties within itself. So if a class has a property of $xml, to access that property from within the class you'd do $this->xml

 

Ah, I've been out of writing PHP for a long while and am used to Actionscript classes. I just figured the syntax would be $this -> $xml, but I see how that wouldn't work.

 

Thanks again for all the help guys.

[Alex]

The main thing you'll need to know is how to use $this, $this is used inside of a class to access methods or properties within itself. So if a class has a property of $xml, to access that property from within the class you'd do $this->xml

 

Ah, I've been out of writing PHP for a long while and am used to Actionscript classes. I just figured the syntax would be $this -> $xml, but I see how that wouldn't work.

 

Thanks again for all the help guys.

 

Yea, I actually don't like that AS OOP allows that. But even in AS OOP you're allowed to do: this.something; just not required to.

[MadTechie]

cont...

 

the function __construct() basically means run this when the class is first called, the other thing to note is that you can't call a function from directly inside a class, it need to be in a function,

[scheda]

cont...

 

the function __construct() basically means run this when the class is first called, the other thing to note is that you can't call a function from directly inside a class, it need to be in a function,

 

Ah, well good. That's one less function I have to run in the HTML file.

[Alex]

Alternatively you can name the constructor as the same name as the class. All of this is stuff that you should probably look into: http://us.php.net/zend-engine-2.php

[scheda]

Alternatively you can name the constructor as the same name as the class. All of this is stuff that you should probably look into: http://us.php.net/zend-engine-2.php

 

Thanks for the link - classes are definitely something I need to work more with in PHP. I'm rewriting a script I wrote in a few hours using functional logic. Messy thing.

 

I'd much rather have it in OOP, still have trouble thinking that way at first, especially after months of not touching PHP.