Creating XML node with CDATA

doublehops

Hi guys,

I'm using DOMDocument to create an XML document but I can't see how to create an element who's value is encapsulated in CDATA.

Example:

<name><![CDATA[john smith]]></name>

I am currently trying to use DOMDocument::createCDATASection() but it does not allow me to create an element name.

Is this possible at all using DOMDocument?

Weedpacket

Sure; but you have to create the element first, then put the CDATA node inside it (they're two separate things).

doublehops

But the CDATA is not a node like most as it does not seem to be contained within it's own element.

createCDATASection() will return an object. In this case I cannot use this value as the value included into the second parameter of createElement().

Example of what I tried that doesn't work.

	$xml = new DOMDocument( "1.0", "UTF-8" );
	$base = $xml->createElement( 'history' );
	$cdata_value = $xml->createCDATASection( 'John Smith' );
	$xml->createElement( 'name', $cdata_value );

I am still at a loss of how I include the CDATA with an element like:

<name><![CDATA[john smith]]></name>

NogDog

I think you're looking for something like this?

<?php
header('Content-Type: text/xml');
$xml = new DOMDocument( "1.0", "UTF-8" );
$base = $xml->appendChild($xml->createElement( 'history' ));
$name = $base->appendChild($xml->createElement('name'));
$name->appendChild($xml->createCDATASection( 'John Smith' ));
$xml->formatOutput = true;
echo $xml->saveXML();

Weedpacket

doublehops wrote:
But the CDATA is not a node like most as it does not seem to be contained within it's own element.

A CDATA section is a kind of node; an element is another kind of node. (And plain text, attributes, comments, and processing instructions are yet other different kinds of node.)

doublehops

Thanks guys, I got it. My confusion was that the CDATA should be a child of the element and not the content. Therefore I should have been using appendChild() rather than createElement() to add the CDATA.

whodigs

NogDog;10946284 wrote:

I think you're looking for something like this?

<?php
header('Content-Type: text/xml');
$xml = new DOMDocument( "1.0", "UTF-8" );
$base = $xml->appendChild($xml->createElement( 'history' ));
$name = $base->appendChild($xml->createElement('name'));
$name->appendChild($xml->createCDATASection( 'John Smith' ));
$xml->formatOutput = true;
echo $xml->saveXML();

Thanks! Exactly what I needed