Recursive Xml To Array Parsing Function

[Peter Barrow]

Hello,

 

I am attempting to parse an XML file to create a multidimensional array of unknown/unlimited depth. Shown below is the intended structure of the array:

 

$items = array(

['item1'] => array(

['name'] => 'name here',

['command'] => 'command here'

)

['item2'] => array( // name and command etc

)

['nest'] => array(

['name'] => 'nest name here';

['items'] => array(

['item'] = array(

['name'] => 'name here',

['command'] => 'command here'

))))

 

Essentially, I would like an array that consist of items, each item itself being an array that contains item-specific properties. On the same level as the items can be found nests. Nests are to contain an array of items (again, also arrays) but may also include further nests. This could hypothetically continue any number of times. The two files I am currently using are below.

 

##### TEST3.php #####

 

<?php

 

function subMenuRecursion($xml, $array = array(), $itemcount = 1, $nestcount = 1)

{

foreach($xml->children() as $k => $v)

{

if ((string) $k == 'item')

{

$array["item$itemcount"]['text'] = (string) $v;

$array["item$itemcount"]['command'] = (string) $v['command'];

$itemcount++;

}

}

foreach($xml->children() as $k => $v)

{

if ((string) $k == 'nest')

{

$array["nest$nestcount"] = array('name' => (string) $v['name'], 'items' => array());

$nestcount++;

subMenuRecursion($xml->nest, $array["nest".($nestcount-1)]['items']);

}

}

return $array;

}

 

$file = 'test3.xml';

$xmlobject = simplexml_load_file($file);

$a = subMenuRecursion($xmlobject->sub_menu);

echo '<pre>' . print_r($a, 1) . '</pre>';

?>

 

 

##### TEST3.XML #####

 

 

<blah>

<sub_menu>

<item command="DefaultCommand">Main (Not nested 1)</item>

<item command="DefaultCommand">Main 2 (Not nested 2)</item>

<nest name="Cont">

<item command="Contact">NESTED Contact 1</item>

<item command="Contact">NESTED Contact 2</item>

</nest>

</sub_menu>

</blah>

 

The problem is that the 'nested' items are not added to the array that is generated inside the current array ($array['nest1']['items']). My idea behind the function is that by creating a new array in the following line of code:

 

$array["nest$nestcount"] = array('name' => (string) $v['name'], 'items' => array());

 

and then by passing the recursive call this newly generated array, it should add the nested items to the multidimensional array. These items, however, are not being added and I am completely at a loss. I am running PHP 5.3 on a localhost using WAMP.

 

Any assistance would be extremely useful and much appreciated. Thank you.

[Larry]

What's the end goal here? Because the XML data and a multidimensional array are really equivalent. What's the purpose of transforming the XML to the array in the first place?

[Peter Barrow]

... That's a good question.

 

I'm writing an application controller that handles view selection by using an XML parser and three multi-dimensional arrays that store certain information from it. This data is cached via cookies and the XML is parsed again only when the configuration file has been changed. I decided to do a similar thing with the menus. My hope again was to create the PHP/HTML and cache it without parsing the XML unless an update occurrs; perhaps I could do this without the array, after all! I shall give it a go.

 

If you had the time to examine it, did you happen to notice why the below function was not creating the MD array correctly? It is something that I'm keen to discover as it has driven me mad for days!

 

Thank you for your reply.

 

Pete

[Larry]

Well, I'm not sure why your function above isn't working, but when I searched "php xml to array", I came across this page: http://gaarf.info/2009/08/13/xml-string-to-php-array/ On that page, Rasmus Lerdorf posted a link to his code for converting XML to an array: http://codepad.org/5CrZpqeh