ParseXML (parse XML data)

function ParseXML(text: string): object | null;

NOTE

This function is available as of Syncplify Server! v7.1.1. If you are running an older version, upgrade to v7.1.1 or later to use it.

Parses an XML string and returns a nested JavaScript object that mirrors the document structure. Element children appear as object properties keyed by element name. When the same element name appears more than once, the value becomes an array of objects. Returns null if the input is not valid XML.

Parameter	Type	Requirement	Explanation
text	string	required	The XML text to parse

Return value	Explanation
object	Nested JavaScript object representing the XML structure
null	The input is not valid XML or cannot be parsed

Conventions used in the returned object

XML construct	How it appears in the object
Child element <foo>	Object property foo
Multiple <foo> siblings	Array at property foo
Attribute bar="val" on an element	Key _attrs.bar inside that element's object
Text content of an element	Key _text inside that element's object

Example

Given this XML:

<order id="42">
  <customer name="Alice" />
  <item sku="ABC-1">Widget A</item>
  <item sku="ABC-2">Widget B</item>
</order>

ParseXML produces an object equivalent to:

{
  "_attrs": { "id": "42" },
  "customer": {
    "_attrs": { "name": "Alice" }
  },
  "item": [
    { "_attrs": { "sku": "ABC-1" }, "_text": "Widget A" },
    { "_attrs": { "sku": "ABC-2" }, "_text": "Widget B" }
  ]
}

Script example

var xml = ReadTextFile('/var/inbox/order.xml');
var doc = ParseXML(xml);
if (doc === null) {
  Log('XML parse failed.');
} else {
  var orderId = doc['_attrs']['id'];
  var items   = doc['item'];  // array because there are multiple <item> elements
  Log('Order ' + orderId + ' has ' + items.length + ' items.');
  for (var i = 0; i < items.length; i++) {
    Log('  SKU: ' + items[i]['_attrs']['sku'] + ' - ' + items[i]['_text']);
  }
}

NOTE

ParseXML is designed for straightforward document processing. For very large XML files or streaming use cases, consider using an external tool via RunCapture.