PHP SimpleXMLElement转换错误？

Question

I am using SimpleXMLElement to help me to create a object from string, but facing some problem :

If the xml string just have one info tag that will convert the element belongs info to object

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<string>
    <TotalRecords>1</TotalRecords>
    <data>
        <info>
            <name>huge</name>
            <age>27</age>
        </info>
    </data>
</string>

if the xml string have multiple info tag that will convert the element belogs info to array

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<string>
    <TotalRecords>1</TotalRecords>
    <data>
        <info>
            <name>huge</name>
            <age>27</age>
        </info>
        <info>
            <name>alex</name>
            <age>27</age>
        </info>
    </data>
</string>

Is that can be fix all situation to array ? or have another php method to convert more perfectly?

Answer 1

SimpleXML never converts anything into an array, you have just been misled by the output of your debug function.

In fact, SimpleXML is incredibly helpful in this situation, and lets you choose whether to:

• access the first <info> element and ignore any others (eg $name = (string)$xml->data->info->name; )
• access a particular element with the same name by numeric index (eg $first_name = (string)$xml->data->info[0]->name; $second_name = (string)$xml->data->info[1]->name; )
• loop over all elements with the same name, even if there's only one (eg foreach ( $xml->data->info as $info ) { $this_name = (string)$info->name; } )
• loop over all elements at a particular level regardless of name (eg $info = $xml->data->info[0]; foreach ( $info->children() as $tag_name => $element ) { echo "$tag_name = ", (string)$element; }