TouchXML parsing XML attributes

Question

How do I use touchXML to parse this XML? I want to store all the attributes as key/value pairs in a dictionary.

<Player PlayerName="Padraig HARRINGTON" CurrentPosition="1" CurrentRank="1"
    Country="IRL" NumberOfHolesPlayed="18" ParRelativeScore="+3">
    <RoundScore RoundNumber="1" Score="74" />
    <RoundScore RoundNumber="2" Score="68" />
    <RoundScore RoundNumber="3" Score="72" />
    <RoundScore RoundNumber="4" Score="69" />
</Player>
<Player PlayerName="Ian POULTER" CurrentPosition="2" CurrentRank="2" Country="ENG" 
    NumberOfHolesPlayed="18" ParRelativeScore="+7">
    <RoundScore RoundNumber="1" Score="72" />
    <RoundScore RoundNumber="2" Score="71" />
    <RoundScore RoundNumber="3" Score="75" />
    <RoundScore RoundNumber="4" Score="69" />
</Player>
<Player PlayerName="Henrik STENSON" CurrentPosition="3" CurrentRank="T3"           Country="SWE" 
    NumberOfHolesPlayed="18" ParRelativeScore="+9">
    <RoundScore RoundNumber="1" Score="76" />
    <RoundScore RoundNumber="2" Score="72" />
    <RoundScore RoundNumber="3" Score="70" />
    <RoundScore RoundNumber="4" Score="71" />
</Player>

I have no problem is the XML is formatted like so:

<Player>
<Country>UK</Country>
<NumberOfHolesPlayed>12</NumberOfHolesPlayed>
...
...

But I'm not sure what to do when dealing with attributes...

How can you get attributes with touchXML? In particular if a node has a subnode that also has attributes..

As per the first example XML file. In the first XML example I managed to get the Player attributes but not the child nodes 'RoundScore' attributes.

Would love a helping hand..

Thanks,

Dan

Answer 1

Use TBXML, its much easier and faster on working with XML files. Nice documentation also. Your problem with Attributes is easier solved here. http://www.tbxml.co.uk/TBXML/TBXML_Free.html

Answer 2

For more information visit this post . I have given complete brief about it.

Yep ! solved your problem.

see, following code. Hope you understand. It's working for your requirement. I also have added - NSLog - Result - parsed.

-(void)methodForParsingPlayers{
    NSMutableArray *ar=[[NSMutableArray alloc] init];
    CXMLDocument *doc=[[[CXMLDocument alloc] initWithData:[NSData dataWithContentsOfFile:[[NSBundle mainBundle] pathForResource:@"Players" ofType:@"xml"]] options:0 error:nil] autorelease];

    NSArray *nodes=nil;
    nodes=[doc nodesForXPath:@"//Player" error:nil];

    NSString *strValue;
    NSString *strName;

    for (CXMLElement *node in nodes) {
        NSMutableDictionary *object=[[NSMutableDictionary alloc] init];

        // process to set attributes of object ----------------------------------------
        NSMutableDictionary *objectAttributes=[[NSMutableDictionary alloc] init];
        NSArray *arAttr=[node attributes];
        NSUInteger i, countAttr = [arAttr count];
        for (i = 0; i < countAttr; i++) {
            strValue=[[arAttr objectAtIndex:i] stringValue];
            strName=[[arAttr objectAtIndex:i] name];
            if(strValue && strName){
                [objectAttributes setValue:strValue forKey:strName];
            }
        }
        [object setValue:objectAttributes forKey:[node name]];
        [objectAttributes release]; objectAttributes=nil;
        // --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        // process to read elements of object ----------------------------------------
        NSUInteger j, countElements = [node childCount];
        CXMLNode *element;
        NSMutableDictionary *elementDictionary=nil;
        for (j=0; j<countElements; j++) {
            element=[node childAtIndex:j];
            elementDictionary=[[NSMutableDictionary alloc] init];

            // process to read element attributes ----------------------------------
            if([element isMemberOfClass:[CXMLElement class]]){
                CXMLElement *element2=(CXMLElement*)element;
                arAttr=[element2 attributes];
                countAttr=[arAttr count];
                for (i=0; i<countAttr; i++) {
                    strName=[[arAttr objectAtIndex:i] name];
                    strValue=[[arAttr objectAtIndex:i] stringValue];
                    if(strName && strValue){
                        [elementDictionary setValue:strValue forKey:strName];
                    }
                }
            }
            // --------------------------------------------------------------------

            // element value if available
            strValue=[element stringValue];
            if(strValue){
                [elementDictionary setValue:strValue forKey:@"value"];
            }
            // ---------------------------------------------------------------------

            // check if object/dictionary exists for this key "name"
            strName=[element name];
            if([object valueForKey:strName]){
                if([[object valueForKey:strName] isKindOfClass:[NSMutableDictionary class]]){
                    NSMutableDictionary *d=[[NSMutableDictionary alloc] initWithDictionary:[object valueForKey:strName]];
                    NSMutableArray *arOFSameElementName=[[NSMutableArray alloc] initWithObjects:d,elementDictionary,nil];
                    [object setValue:arOFSameElementName forKey:strName];
                    [d release]; d=nil;
                    [arOFSameElementName release]; arOFSameElementName=nil;
                } else {
                    NSMutableArray *arOFSameElementName=[object valueForKey:strName];
                    [arOFSameElementName addObject:elementDictionary];
                }
            } else {
                [object setValue:elementDictionary forKey:strName];
            }
            [elementDictionary release]; elementDictionary=nil;
            // ---------------------------------------------------------------------
        }
        [ar addObject:object];
        [object release]; object=nil;
        // --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    }
    NSLog(@"%@",[ar description]);
}


2010-08-13 12:45:48.786 TouchTry[2850:207] (
        {
        Player =         {
            Country = IRL;
            CurrentPosition = 1;
            CurrentRank = 1;
            NumberOfHolesPlayed = 18;
            ParRelativeScore = "+3";
            PlayerName = "Padraig HARRINGTON";
        };
        RoundScore =         (
                        {
                RoundNumber = 1;
                Score = 74;
            },
                        {
                RoundNumber = 2;
                Score = 68;
            },
                        {
                RoundNumber = 3;
                Score = 72;
            },
                        {
                RoundNumber = 4;
                Score = 69;
            }
        );
    },
        {
        Player =         {
            Country = ENG;
            CurrentPosition = 2;
            CurrentRank = 2;
            NumberOfHolesPlayed = 18;
            ParRelativeScore = "+7";
            PlayerName = "Ian POULTER";
        };
        RoundScore =         (
                        {
                RoundNumber = 1;
                Score = 72;
            },
                        {
                RoundNumber = 2;
                Score = 71;
            },
                        {
                RoundNumber = 3;
                Score = 75;
            },
                        {
                RoundNumber = 4;
                Score = 69;
            }
        );
    },
        {
        Player =         {
            Country = SWE;
            CurrentPosition = 3;
            CurrentRank = T3;
            NumberOfHolesPlayed = 18;
            ParRelativeScore = "+9";
            PlayerName = "Henrik STENSON";
        };
        RoundScore =         (
                        {
                RoundNumber = 1;
                Score = 76;
            },
                        {
                RoundNumber = 2;
                Score = 72;
            },
                        {
                RoundNumber = 3;
                Score = 70;
            },
                        {
                RoundNumber = 4;
                Score = 71;
            }
        );
    }
)

Answer 3

I found out that you have to check the child nodes are CXElements. Sometimes they're CXMLNodes and these don't have attribute properties.