Using PHP DOM to create XML files from MySQL data

Question

I have created a MySQL table and would like to save the contents of the table in an XML file for use by other applications. I can access the data fine and echo the data on a broswer window, but on saving using the DomDocument::save('thexmlfile.xml'), I cannot see any new files created in the directory location of the running PHP file.

Answer 1

you will have to create the dom xml from the mysql data and then save it in an xml file.An example:

$sql = 'select * from messages';
$run = mysql_query($sql, $link);

if( $run && mysql_num_rows( $run ) ) {
    $doc = new DOMDocument( '1.0' );
    $doc->formatOutput = true;
    $doc->preserveWhiteSpace = true;

    $root = $doc->createElement( 'data' );
    $doc->appendChild( $root );

    while( ( $fetch = mysql_fetch_assoc( $run ) )!== false ) {
        $node = $doc->createElement( 'node' );
        $root->appendChild( $node );

        foreach( $fetch as $key => $value ) {
            createNodes( $key, $value, $doc, $node );
        }
    }
    $doc->save("thexmlfile.xml");
}

function createNodes( $key, $value, $doc, $node ) {
    $key = $doc->createElement( $key );
    $node->appendChild( $key );
    $key->appendChild( $doc->createTextNode( $value ) );
}

Now, you should see the xml file.

Hope, it helps.

Answer 2

Hm, your question is about DOM , the accepted answer is about DOM , but you don't seem to need the capabilities of this, then libxml's brother SimpleXML seems much more straight forward... I assume your problem is long over, but just for completeness sake:

$sql = 'select * from messages';
$run = mysql_query($sql, $link);

if( $run && mysql_num_rows( $run ) ) {
    $xml = new SimpleXMLElement('<data/>');
    while($fetch = mysql_fetch_assoc($run)) {
        $node = $root->addChild('node');
        foreach( $fetch as $key => $value ) {
            $node->addChild($key,$value);
        }
    }
    $xml->asXML("thexmlfile.xml");
}