Query XML for specific data

[RabPHP]

Greetings,

I need to know if it is possible to query an XML file for something specific.

For example...

I have an XML data that looks like...

<news>
<story>
<headline>Story1</headline>
<description>description of Story1 </description>
</story>
<story>
<headline>Story2</headline>
<description>Description of Story2</description>
</story>
</news>

What I would like to do is essentially "SELECT description from (file) where headline='story2';

Is there anyway to do something like that with PHP and XML?

Rab

[trq]

Take a look at the [url=http://php.net/manual/en/ref.simplexml.php]simpleXML[/url] extension.

[LazyJones]

You can parse XML data with PHP:

1. If you are using PHP5, I recommend [url=http://www.php.net/simplexml]http://www.php.net/simplexml[/url]

2. If older, check [url=http://www.php.net/xml]http://www.php.net/xml[/url] functions. It's a bit trickier but works.

[RabPHP]

I've been looking over the SimpleXML function, however I can't seem to find any examples of what I am looking for.

I have found out how to pull out everything in a specific node, but not how to pull out information in a node where another node on the same level equals something.  Anyone out there have an example?

Rab

Rab

[trq]

Ive never used it myself but maybe something like....

[code]
<?php
  $xmlstring = file_get_contents("yourfile.xml");
  $xml = new SimpleXMLElement($xmlstring);
  foreach ($xml->story as $story) {
    if (strtolower($story->headline) == "story2") {
      echo $story->description;
    }
  }
?>
[/code]

[RabPHP]

That worked!  I've been trying to do this myself for almost a week.

Only 1 small problem.  The XML file has a New Line after the entries in the description.  For example...


<description>description of Story1
This is a cool movie
This gets 5 stars
</description>

With the code below it's displaying...

description of Story1 This is a cool movie This gets 5 stars

How can I get it to take the New Line markers and display it on a new line?



Rab

[trq]

Assuming your trying to display it in html, try running it through [url=http://php.net/nl2br[/url].

[code=php:0]
echo nl2br($story->description);
[/code]

[RabPHP]

Thorpe, your a genius.  Thanks for the help, I'll study these two new functions, I've never seen nl2br before.

Rab