Convert XML to Associative array

Question

Is there a way to convert XML to array using Zend Framework and PHP? I have seen folks using SimpleXML to do this, but I wanted to know if there's a way through Zend Framework.

Sample XML, I wanted to convert to array would be:

<library>
    <book>
        <authorFirst>Mark</authorFirst>
        <authorLast>Twain</authorLast>
        <title>The Innocents Abroad</title>
    </book>
    <book>
        <authorFirst>Charles</authorFirst>
        <authorLast>Dickens</authorLast>
        <title>Oliver Twist</title>
    </book>
</library>

The converted array will look like this:

Array 
( 
        [0] => Array ( 
                      [authorFirst] => Mark 
                      [authorLast] => Twain
                      [title] => Innocents Abroad
                     )
        [1] => Array (
                      [authorFirst] => Charles 
                      [authorLast] => Dickens
                      [title] => Oliver Twist
                     )
)

Tim Fountain · Accepted Answer · 2011-07-18 14:09:22Z

6

ZF also uses SimpleXML. For your example:

$xml = simplexml_load_string($data);
$books = array();
foreach ($xml->books as $book) {
    $books[] = (array)$book;
}

var_dump($books) will then give you:

array(2) {
  [0]=>
  array(3) {
    ["authorFirst"]=>
    string(4) "Mark"
    ["authorLast"]=>
    string(5) "Twain"
    ["title"]=>
    string(20) "The Innocents Abroad"
  }
  [1]=>
  array(3) {
    ["authorFirst"]=>
    string(7) "Charles"
    ["authorLast"]=>
    string(7) "Dickens"
    ["title"]=>
    string(12) "Oliver Twist"
  }
}

if your books may have nested elements then it gets a little more complicated.

answered Jul 18, 2011 at 14:09

Tim Fountain

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Comments

Ascherer · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-17 21:27:25Z

2

If you look aty the source code of Zend_Config_XML, you'll see them using SimpleXML to do almost exactly that. My guess? They'd suggest you do the same.

edited May 17, 2013 at 21:27

Ascherer

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answered Jul 18, 2011 at 14:05

cwallenpoole

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Comments

Adrian World · Accepted Answer · 2011-07-18 16:25:28Z

0

Unfortunately, or thankfully depending on your point of view, Zend Framework does not have a set of classes for everything possible--as of now. You have to use plain php (like simpleXML or DOMDocument) for this task or implement your own Zend class.

Converting a XML file into a PHP array would be something that fits into Zend_Filter. Zend_Filter converts many things right now and others are under development but I don't see anything like XML in the queue.

answered Jul 18, 2011 at 16:25

Adrian World

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