Recursive Array to XML

arrayToXMLExample.php

<?php
$test_array = array (
  'bla' => 'blub',
  'another_array' => array('stack' => 'overflow'),
  'foo' => 'bar',
  'this' => array( 'this_item' => 'that' )
);

$xml = new SimpleXMLElement('<root/>');
foreach ( $test_array as $key => $value ) { // Itterate through the array and pass to our custom fucntion
	ck_add_child( $xml, $key, $value );
}
print $xml->asXML();

function ck_add_child( $element, $key, $value ) {
	if ( !is_array( $value ) ) { // If the value of this item is not an array, add it as a child of the root node
		$element->addChild( $key, $value );
	} else { // If the item is another array, split it out and itterate through it until all items are added to this new node, then return to normal business
		$nested = $element->addChild( $key );
		foreach ( $value as $key2 => $value2 ) {
			ck_add_child( $nested, $key2, $value2 );
		}
	}
}

Only gotcha here is if you have an array, with an array, and then an array, it's causing a node of <0> to be added before and after that 3rd layer of nesting. Might just be a simple debugging, but I'm a bit too tired to parse XML mentally right now ;)

This is producing the following XML:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<root>
  <bla>blub</bla>
  <another_array>
    <stack>overflow</stack>
  </another_array>
  <foo>bar</foo>
  <this>
    <this_item>that</this_item>
  </this>
</root>

I also want to update the code to consider "objects".. IE convert them to arrays before considering them. I have lots of libraries that pass me Arrays with nested objects... which are freaking annoying as hell to parse into XML. This also doesn't handle numeric arrays, only associative. This article has a "more complete" class we might start with... although I was enjoying that my code used the DOM PHP class.

http://snipplr.com/view/3491/convert-php-array-to-xml-or-simple-xml-object-if-you-wish/

I need to come up with a better PHP Unit test. I'll try to do that when I return to this project again.

Here is my "unit test" for the function/class. Expects a function "build_xml" with 2 params. First param is the data array, the second is the default name for a node (used when nodes cannot be labled due to numeric or other issues in parsing)

$sampleObject = new stdClass();
$sampleObject->property = array('Should be converted to array ','by Array 2 XML Function');
$arrayFourLevelsDeepWithObjects = array(
    1=>'handle numerical arrays',
    'Level_ONE_A' => 'Easy to parse',
    'Level_FOUR_BY_ONE' => array(//fails to load levels
        'Level_FOUR_BY_TWO' => array(
            'Object_Test_Is_Next'=>null,
            'oLevel_FOUR_BY_THREE_A_OBJECT_NESTED_IN_ARRAY'=>$sampleObject,
            'Level_FOUR_BY_THREE_B' => array(
                'Level_FOUR_BY_FOUR' => array(
                    'attribute_ONE'=>'blue',
                    'attribute_TWO'=>null,
                    'attribute_THREE'=>3,
                    'attribute_FOUR'=>'',
                    'attribute_FIVE'=>true,
                    'attribute_SIX'=>false
                )
            ),

        )
    ),
    'Level_ONE_B' => 'Easy to parse too',
    'HANDLE_NUMBERS_IN_ARRAYS_1'=>'Dont just crash, show this node',
    'Handle Spaces'=>'Dont just crash, show this node',//fails
    'Handle (parens)'=>'Dont just crash, show this node',//fails
);