PHP 7.0.6 Released

    SimpleXMLElement::addChild

    (PHP 5 >= 5.1.3, PHP 7)

    SimpleXMLElement::addChild — Adds a child element to the XML node

    Description

    public SimpleXMLElement SimpleXMLElement::addChild ( string $name [, string $value [, string $namespace ]] )

    Adds a child element to the node and returns a SimpleXMLElement of the child.

    Parameters

    name

    The name of the child element to add.

    value

    If specified, the value of the child element.

    namespace

    If specified, the namespace to which the child element belongs.

    Return Values

    The addChild method returns a SimpleXMLElement object representing the child added to the XML node.

    Examples

    Note:

    Listed examples may include example.php, which refers to the XML string found in the first example of the basic usage guide.

    Example #1 Add attributes and children to a SimpleXML element

    <?php

    include 'example.php';

    $sxe = new SimpleXMLElement($xmlstr);
    $sxe->addAttribute('type', 'documentary');

    $movie = $sxe->addChild('movie');
    $movie->addChild('title', 'PHP2: More Parser Stories');
    $movie->addChild('plot', 'This is all about the people who make it work.');

    $characters = $movie->addChild('characters');
    $character  = $characters->addChild('character');
    $character->addChild('name', 'Mr. Parser');
    $character->addChild('actor', 'John Doe');

    $rating = $movie->addChild('rating', '5');
    $rating->addAttribute('type', 'stars');
     
    echo     $sxe->asXML();

    ?>

    The above example will output something similar to:

    <?xml version="1.0" standalone="yes"?>
<movies type="documentary">
 <movie>
  <title>PHP: Behind the Parser</title>
  <characters>
   <character>
    <name>Ms. Coder</name>
    <actor>Onlivia Actora</actor>
   </character>
   <character>
    <name>Mr. Coder</name>
    <actor>El Act&#xD3;r</actor>
   </character>
  </characters>
  <plot>
   So, this language. It's like, a programming language. Or is it a
   scripting language? All is revealed in this thrilling horror spoof
   of a documentary.
  </plot>
  <great-lines>
   <line>PHP solves all my web problems</line>
  </great-lines>
  <rating type="thumbs">7</rating>
  <rating type="stars">5</rating>
 </movie>
 <movie>
  <title>PHP2: More Parser Stories</title>
  <plot>This is all about the people who make it work.</plot>
  <characters>
   <character>
    <name>Mr. Parser</name>
    <actor>John Doe</actor>
   </character>
  </characters>
  <rating type="stars">5</rating>
 </movie>
</movies>

    See Also

    User Contributed Notes

    frosty dot z at freesbee dot fr
    2 years ago
    To complete Volker Grabsch's comment, stating :
    "Note that although addChild() escapes "<" and ">", it does not escape the ampersand "&"."

    To work around that problem, you can use direct property assignment such as :

    <?php
    $xmlelement    ->value = 'my value < > &';
    // results in <value>my value &lt; &gt; &amp;</value>
    ?>

    instead of doing :

    <?php
    $xmlelement    ->addChild('value', 'my value < > &');
    // results in <value>my value &lt; &gt; &</value> (invalid XML)
    ?>

    See also: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/552957 (Rationale behind SimpleXMLElement's handling of text values in addChild and addAttribute)

    HTH
    alex dot feraud at gmail dot com
    4 years ago
    Here is a class with more functions for SimpleXMLElement :

    <?php
    /**
    *
    * Extension for SimpleXMLElement
    * @author Alexandre FERAUD
    *
    */
    class ExSimpleXMLElement extends SimpleXMLElement
    {
            /**
         * Add CDATA text in a node
         * @param string $cdata_text The CDATA value  to add
         */
          private function addCData($cdata_text)
      {
           $node= dom_import_simplexml($this);
           $no = $node->ownerDocument;
           $node->appendChild($no->createCDATASection($cdata_text));
      }

          /**
       * Create a child with CDATA value
       * @param string $name The name of the child element to add.
       * @param string $cdata_text The CDATA value of the child element.
       */
            public function addChildCData($name,$cdata_text)
        {
                $child = $this->addChild($name);
                $child->addCData($cdata_text);
        }

            /**
         * Add SimpleXMLElement code into a SimpleXMLElement
         * @param SimpleXMLElement $append
         */
            public function appendXML($append)
        {
            if (    $append) {
                if (    strlen(trim((string) $append))==0) {
                        $xml = $this->addChild($append->getName());
                    foreach(    $append->children() as $child) {
                            $xml->appendXML($child);
                    }
                } else {
                        $xml = $this->addChild($append->getName(), (string) $append);
                }
                foreach(    $append->attributes() as $n => $v) {
                        $xml->addAttribute($n, $v);
                }
            }
        }
    }
    ?>
    johninen at gmail dot com
    7 months ago
    In the docs for google sitemaps it is required an element for mobile sitemaps that looks like this: <mobile:mobile/>

    I used some time to figure out how to make it, but it is quite simple when understood.

    $mobile_schema = 'http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-mobile/1.0';

    //Create root element
    $xml_mobile = new SimpleXMLElement('
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
    <urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9" xmlns:mobile="'.$mobile_schema.'"></urlset>
    ');

    //Add required children
    $url_mobile = $xml_b_list_mobile->addChild('url');
    $url_mobile->addChild('loc', 'your-mobile-site-url');
    $url_mobile->addChild('mobile:mobile', null, $mobile_schema);

    For this to work properly the attribute xmlns:mobile must be set in the root node, and then used as namespace(third argument) when creating the mobile:mobile child with null as value.
    ivan dot kakurov at gmail dot com
    3 years ago
    Here's my solution for creating XML from Multidimensional Array.
    <?php
    //DATA
                $xmlDAta = array(
                array(
                        "name"  => "nameVal",
                        "value" => "valVal",
                        "css"   => "cssVal"
                    ),
                array(
                        "name"  => "name1Val",
                        "value" => "val1Val",
                        "css"   => "css1Val"
                    ),
                    "tname" => array(
                    array(
                            "iTname"   => "iTname",
                            "iTname2"  => "iTname1",
                            "iTname2"  => "iTname2",
                            "iTbname3" => array(
                                "iiTbname"  => "tbName",
                                "iiTbname1" => "tbName1",
                        ),
                    ),
                ),
                    "tdata" => "otheerDAta"
                );

           /**
         * Create XML using string or array
         *
         * @param mixed $data input data
         * @param SimpleXMLElement $xml
         * @param string $child name of first level child
         *
         * @return adding Xml formated data into SimpleXmlElement
         */

    function data2XML(array $data, SimpleXMLElement $xml, $child = "items")
        {

            foreach(    $data as $key => $val) {
                if(    is_array($val)) {

                    if(    is_numeric($key)) {
                            $node  = $xml->addChild($child);
                            $nodes = $node->getName($child);
                    } else {

                            $node  = $xml->addChild($key);
                            $nodes = $node->getName($key);
                    }

                        $node->addChild($nodes, self::data2Xml($val, $node));
                } else {
                        $xml->addChild($key, $val);
                }
            }

        }

    //Use

                $xml    = new SimpleXMLElement("<root/>");
                Util::data2XML($xmlDAta, $xml, "Items");

    ?>
    Volker Grabsch
    5 years ago
    Note that although addChild() escapes "<" and ">", it does not escape the ampersand "&".

    So addChild() is unsuited to handle user-defined input!

    Instead, you will have to replace all "&" with "&amp;" before calling addChild().

    Or, use htmlspecialchars() which also replaces other characters, but won't do any harm as addChild() won't replace those again.
    passerbyxp at gmail dot com
    3 years ago
    Be aware that simply because you can <?php $dom->addChild();?> doesn't mean your XML is valid under simple XML itself:

    <?php
    $dom    =simplexml_load_string("<test></test>");
    $dom->addChild("3D","1,2,3");
    $xml=$dom->asXML();
    echo     $xml;
    /* echos:
    <?xml version="1.0"?>
    <test><3D>1,2,3</3D></test>
    */

    $dom=simplexml_load_string($xml);
    /*
    generates a whole lots of warnings,
    and refuses to create an object.
    */
    ?>

    Same in PHP 5.3 and 5.4
    jerikojerk
    4 years ago
    If you're looking for a way to append children you may be interested in this:

    <?php
    $x     = new SimpleXMLElement('<root name="toplevel"></root>');
    $f1 = new SimpleXMLElement('<child pos="1">alpha</child>');
    $f2 = new SimpleXMLElement('<child pos="2">beta</child>');
    $f3 = new SimpleXMLElement('<child pos="3">gamma</child>');

    $x->{$f1->getName()} = $f1;
    $x->{$f2->getName()}[] = $f2;
    $x->{$f3->getName()}[] = $f3;

    echo     'count child=',$x->count(),"\n";
    echo     $x->asXML();

    foreach (     $x->children() as $foo )
    {
            var_dump($foo);
    }

    ?>
    felipenmoura at gmail dot com
    5 years ago
    This method returns a reference to the specific SimpleXMLElement.
    If you use:
    <?php
        $xml    = new SimpleXMLElement('<root></root>');
            $xml->father['name']= 'Fathers name'; // creates automatically a father tag with attribute name
            $son= $xml->father->addChild('son'); // uses the first father tag
            $son['name']= 'first son';
            $otherSon= $xml->father->addChild('son'); // uses the first father tag but now, in a second son tag
            $otherSon['name']= 'second son';
       
        echo     htmlentities($xml->asXML());
    ?>

    The result will be
    <root>
        <father>
            <son name='first son' />
            <son name='second son' />
        </father>
    </root>

    So, once you change something to the just added child, you are actually accessing the element inside the SimpleXMLElement as a reference.
    thallisphp at gmail dot com
    1 year ago
    <?php
    class MySimpleXMLElement extends SimpleXMLElement
    {
            /**
         * Add SimpleXMLElement code into a SimpleXMLElement
         *
         * @param SimpleXMLElement $append
         */
            public function appendXML($append)
        {
            if (    $append) {
                if (    strlen(trim((string)$append)) == 0) {
                        $xml = $this->addChild($append->getName());
                } else {
                        $xml = $this->addChild($append->getName(), (string)$append);
                }

                foreach (    $append->children() as $child) {
                        $xml->appendXML($child);
                }

                foreach (    $append->attributes() as $n => $v) {
                        $xml->addAttribute($n, $v);
                }
            }
        }
    }
    ?>
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