Prettifying/Formatting output in SimpleXML

Question

I have this simplexml script i'm using to post data entered from a form.

$xml = simplexml_load_file("links.xml");

$sxe = new SimpleXMLElement($xml->asXML()); 

$person = $sxe->addChild("link");
$person->addChild("title", "Q: ".$x_title);
$person->addChild("url", "questions_layout.php#Question$id");

$sxe->asXML("links.xml"); 

and when it comes out it looks like this on one line:

<link><title>Alabama State</title><url>questions_layout.php#Question37</url></link><link><title>Michigan State</title><url>questions_layout.php#Question37</url></link></pages>

But i've tried the method found HERE and THIS AS WELL but neither format the XML correctly in the lines as they should be like

<link>
<title></title>
<url></url>
</link>

In the first reference link I even changed loadXML to load, because loadXML expects a string as XML. Can somebody help me find a solution to this please?

Solution 1

AFAIK simpleXML can't do it on its own.

However, DOMDocument can.

$dom = dom_import_simplexml($sxe)->ownerDocument;
$dom->formatOutput = TRUE;
$formatted = $dom->saveXML();

Solution 2

i think above accepted answer from stackoverflow authority did not solved above question. Ref : [ I tried your answer and i received a Fatal error: Call to undefined method DOMElement::saveXML() on the line where the $formatted = $dom->saveXML();

$simplexml = simplexml_load_file("links.xml");
$dom = new DOMDocument('1.0');
$dom->preserveWhiteSpace = false;
$dom->formatOutput = true;
$dom->loadXML($simplexml->asXML());
$xml = new SimpleXMLElement($dom->saveXML());

$person = $xml->addChild("link");
$person->addChild("title", "Q: ".$x_title);
$person->addChild("url", "questions_layout.php#Question$id");
$xml->saveXML("links.xml"); 

---

Comments

[Tower]

I tried your answer and i received a Fatal error: Call to undefined method DOMElement::saveXML() on the line where the `$formatted = $dom->saveXML(); happens

[user3167101]

@Tower Try calling saveXML() on ownerDocument.

[Tower]

Changed it to $dom = dom_import_simplexml($sxe)->ownerDocument; and though the error isn't being printed anymore, the XML is still not being formatted and appears all on one line.

[user3167101]

@Tower How are you viewing it to confirm this?

[Tower]

I entered data into the form again, submit it, let the PHP do it's job and then take a look at the XML file in Notepad++, but now that i see it, it only appears this way in Notepad++, but in IE or Firefox, it appears organized. Still should i be concerned about making it format properly in the editor as well?

[user3167101]

@Tower So you're using Notepad++ on Windows right? The newline characters are different between Windows and *nix machines.

[Tower]

Ok i see. Thanks for the answer.

[user3167101]

@Tower If you convert \n to \n\r, it should work on Windows.

[Tower]

How do you mean convert? with a function?

[user3167101]

@Tower A function is one method to do it.

[cweiske]

stackoverflow.com/questions/798967/… actually works