DOM Parsing

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Parsing the DOM

Using the XML parser

To read and update – create and manipulate – an XML document, you need an XML parser. The Microsoft XML parser is a COM component that comes with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0. Once you have installed IE 5.0, the parser is available to scripts inside HTML documents and ASP files.

The Microsoft XMLDOM parser features a language-neutral programming model that:

  • Supports JavaScript, VBScript, Perl, VB, Java, C++ and more
  • Supports W3C XML 1.0 and XML DOM
  • Supports DTD and validation

If you are using JavaScript in IE 5.0, you can
create an XML document object with the following code:

var xmlDoc = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM")

If you are using VBScript you
create the XML document object with the following code:

set xmlDoc = CreateObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM")

If you are using VBScript in an Active Server Page (ASP), you can use the following code:

set xmlDoc = Server.CreateObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM")

Loading an XML file into the parser

The following code loads an existing XML document (note.xml) into the XML parser:

<script language="JavaScript">
var xmlDoc = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM")
xmlDoc.async="false"
xmlDoc.load("note.xml")
// ....... processing the document goes here
</script>

The first line of the script creates an instance of the Microsoft XML parser. The third line tells the parser to load an XML document called note.xml. The second line assures that the parser will halt execution until the document is fully loaded.

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Loading pure XML text into the parser

The following code loads a text string into the XML parser:

<script language="JavaScript">

var text="<note>"
text=text+"<to>Tove</to><from>Jani</from>"
text=text+"<heading>Reminder</heading>"
text=text+"<body>Don't forget me this weekend!</body>"
text=text+"</note>"

var xmlDoc = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM")
xmlDoc.async="false"
xmlDoc.loadXML(text)
// ....... processing the document goes here
</script>

Note that the “loadXML” method (instead of the “load”
method) is used to load a text string.