How do I create variables from XML data in PHP?

Question

Been trying to figure this out for a short while now but having now luck, for example I have an external xml document like this:

&         


        

Answer 1

why not doing the array directly?

var positions = document.getElementsByTagName("positions");
var positions_final_arr = [];
for(int i = 0; i < positions.length; i++){
    positions_final_arr[i] = [];
    var inner_pos = positions[i].getElementsbyTagName("position");
    for(int l = 0; l < inner_pos.length; l++){
        positions_final_arr[i][l] = inner_pos[i].value;
    }
}
console.log(positions_final_arr);

Answer 2

The simplest method is to use SimpleXML:

$xml = simplexml_load_string(... your xml here...);

$values = array()
foreach($xml->positions as $pos) {
   $values[$pos] = $pos;
}

You do not want to auto-create variables in the manner you suggest - it litters your variable name space with garbage. Consider what happens if someone sends over an XML snippet which has <position>_SERVER</position> and you create a variable of that name - there goes your $_SERVER superglobal.

Answer 3

<?php
$xmlUrl = "feed.xml"; // XML feed file/URL
$xmlStr = file_get_contents($xmlUrl);
$xmlObj = simplexml_load_string($xmlStr);
$arrXml = json_decode(json_encode($xmlObj), true); # the magic!!!
print_r($arrXml);
?>

This will give the following result:

Array
(
    [name] => My Template Name
    [author] => John Doe
    [positions] => Array
        (
            [position] => Array
                (
                    [0] => top-a
                    [1] => top-b
                    [2] => sidebar-a
                    [3] => footer-a
                )

        )

)