Extracting some fields from an xml file

PHP
1

I’m trying to put some weather info on a web page, using data from the xml file below.

<?php
$xmlstr = <<<XML
<?xml version='1.0' standalone='yes'?>
<data><request><type>Zipcode</type><query>80487</query></request><current_condition><observation_time>10:14 AM</observation_time><temp_C>-2</temp_C><temp_F>29</temp_F><weatherCode>122</weatherCode><weatherIconUrl>http://www.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0004_black_low_cloud.png</weatherIconUrl><weatherDesc>Overcast </weatherDesc><windspeedMiles>16</windspeedMiles><windspeedKmph>26</windspeedKmph><winddirDegree>240</winddirDegree><winddir16Point>WSW</winddir16Point><precipMM>4.3</precipMM><humidity>81</humidity><visibility>16</visibility><pressure>1001</pressure><cloudcover>100</cloudcover></current_condition>
<weather><date>2012-01-22</date><tempMaxC>-4</tempMaxC><tempMaxF>24</tempMaxF><tempMinC>-15</tempMinC><tempMinF>5</tempMinF><windspeedMiles>21</windspeedMiles><windspeedKmph>35</windspeedKmph><winddirection>W</winddirection><winddir16Point>W</winddir16Point><winddirDegree>274</winddirDegree><weatherCode>323</weatherCode><weatherIconUrl>http://www.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0011_light_snow_showers.png</weatherIconUrl><weatherDesc>Patchy light snow</weatherDesc><precipMM>10.9</precipMM></weather>
<weather><date>2012-01-23</date><tempMaxC>-1</tempMaxC><tempMaxF>30</tempMaxF><tempMinC>-15</tempMinC><tempMinF>5</tempMinF><windspeedMiles>8</windspeedMiles><windspeedKmph>12</windspeedKmph><winddirection>SW</winddirection><winddir16Point>SW</winddir16Point><winddirDegree>220</winddirDegree><weatherCode>116</weatherCode><weatherIconUrl>http://www.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0002_sunny_intervals.png</weatherIconUrl><weatherDesc>Partly Cloudy </weatherDesc><precipMM>0.8</precipMM></weather><weather><date>2012-01-24</date><tempMaxC>-1</tempMaxC><tempMaxF>30</tempMaxF><tempMinC>-14</tempMinC><tempMinF>6</tempMinF><windspeedMiles>9</windspeedMiles><windspeedKmph>14</windspeedKmph><winddirection>W</winddirection><winddir16Point>W</winddir16Point><winddirDegree>274</winddirDegree><weatherCode>119</weatherCode><weatherIconUrl>http://www.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0003_white_cloud.png</weatherIconUrl><weatherDesc>Cloudy </weatherDesc><precipMM>0.6</precipMM></weather><weather><date>2012-01-25</date><tempMaxC>1</tempMaxC><tempMaxF>34</tempMaxF><tempMinC>-15</tempMinC><tempMinF>6</tempMinF><windspeedMiles>6</windspeedMiles><windspeedKmph>9</windspeedKmph><winddirection>SSW</winddirection><winddir16Point>SSW</winddir16Point><winddirDegree>200</winddirDegree><weatherCode>113</weatherCode><weatherIconUrl>http://www.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0001_sunny.png</weatherIconUrl><weatherDesc>Sunny</weatherDesc><precipMM>0.1</precipMM></weather><weather><date>2012-01-26</date><tempMaxC>4</tempMaxC><tempMaxF>39</tempMaxF><tempMinC>-6</tempMinC><tempMinF>21</tempMinF><windspeedMiles>7</windspeedMiles><windspeedKmph>11</windspeedKmph><winddirection>SSW</winddirection><winddir16Point>SSW</winddir16Point><winddirDegree>200</winddirDegree><weatherCode>119</weatherCode><weatherIconUrl>http://www.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0003_white_cloud.png</weatherIconUrl><weatherDesc>Cloudy </weatherDesc><precipMM>0.7</precipMM></weather></data>
XML;
?>

I only want the temperature and weather description values. I’ve tried this code

<?php
include 'weather.php';
$xml= new SimpleXMLElement($xmlstr);
foreach ($xml->children() as $weather){
	$date = $weather['date'];
	$maxC = $weather['tempMaxC'];
	$minC = $weather['tempMinC'];
	$maxF = $weather['tempMaxF'];
	$minF = $weather['tempMinF'];
	$desc = $weather['weatherDesc'];

echo $date . $maxC . $minC . $maxF . $minF . $desc;
}
?>

but I just get a blank page. I really don’t know what I’m doing so would be great if someone could help. Thanks!

2

Try it without the include first, add complexity in stages. Start off with the text pasted into the script, as in your question.



$xml = <<<XML
<?xml version='1.0' standalone='yes'?>
<data><request><type>Zipcode</type><query>80487

.... and so on, as you posted...

XML;

$xml= new SimpleXMLElement($xmlstr);

//Start here then comment/uncomment the dumps

var_dump($xml);  // all nodes

// var_dump($xml->weather);  // just the weather nodes

// var_dump($xml->weather->tempMaxC);  // -4

Access the nodes using the object notation (->)

3

Your XML is structured as follows:


<?xml version="1.0" standalone="yes"?>
<data>
  <request>
    <type>Zipcode</type>
    <query>80487</query>
  </request>
  <current_condition>
    <observation_time>10:14 AM</observation_time>
    <temp_C>-2</temp_C>
    <temp_F>29</temp_F>
    <weatherCode>122</weatherCode>
    <weatherIconUrl>http://www.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0004_black_low_cloud.png</weatherIconUrl>
    <weatherDesc>Overcast </weatherDesc>
    <windspeedMiles>16</windspeedMiles>
    <windspeedKmph>26</windspeedKmph>
    <winddirDegree>240</winddirDegree>
    <winddir16Point>WSW</winddir16Point>
    <precipMM>4.3</precipMM>
    <humidity>81</humidity>
    <visibility>16</visibility>
    <pressure>1001</pressure>
    <cloudcover>100</cloudcover>
  </current_condition>
  <weather>
    <date>2012-01-22</date>
    <tempMaxC>-4</tempMaxC>
    <tempMaxF>24</tempMaxF>
    <tempMinC>-15</tempMinC>
    <tempMinF>5</tempMinF>
    <windspeedMiles>21</windspeedMiles>
    <windspeedKmph>35</windspeedKmph>
    <winddirection>W</winddirection>
    <winddir16Point>W</winddir16Point>
    <winddirDegree>274</winddirDegree>
    <weatherCode>323</weatherCode>
    <weatherIconUrl>http://www.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0011_light_snow_showers.png</weatherIconUrl>
    <weatherDesc>Patchy light snow</weatherDesc>
    <precipMM>10.9</precipMM>
  </weather>
  <weather>
    <date>2012-01-23</date>
    <tempMaxC>-1</tempMaxC>
    <tempMaxF>30</tempMaxF>
    <tempMinC>-15</tempMinC>
    <tempMinF>5</tempMinF>
    <windspeedMiles>8</windspeedMiles>
    <windspeedKmph>12</windspeedKmph>
    <winddirection>SW</winddirection>
    <winddir16Point>SW</winddir16Point>
    <winddirDegree>220</winddirDegree>
    <weatherCode>116</weatherCode>
    <weatherIconUrl>http://www.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0002_sunny_intervals.png</weatherIconUrl>
    <weatherDesc>Partly Cloudy </weatherDesc>
    <precipMM>0.8</precipMM>
  </weather>
  <weather>
    <date>2012-01-24</date>
    <tempMaxC>-1</tempMaxC>
    <tempMaxF>30</tempMaxF>
    <tempMinC>-14</tempMinC>
    <tempMinF>6</tempMinF>
    <windspeedMiles>9</windspeedMiles>
    <windspeedKmph>14</windspeedKmph>
    <winddirection>W</winddirection>
    <winddir16Point>W</winddir16Point>
    <winddirDegree>274</winddirDegree>
    <weatherCode>119</weatherCode>
    <weatherIconUrl>http://www.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0003_white_cloud.png</weatherIconUrl>
    <weatherDesc>Cloudy </weatherDesc>
    <precipMM>0.6</precipMM>
  </weather>
  <weather>
    <date>2012-01-25</date>
    <tempMaxC>1</tempMaxC>
    <tempMaxF>34</tempMaxF>
    <tempMinC>-15</tempMinC>
    <tempMinF>6</tempMinF>
    <windspeedMiles>6</windspeedMiles>
    <windspeedKmph>9</windspeedKmph>
    <winddirection>SSW</winddirection>
    <winddir16Point>SSW</winddir16Point>
    <winddirDegree>200</winddirDegree>
    <weatherCode>113</weatherCode>
    <weatherIconUrl>http://www.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0001_sunny.png</weatherIconUrl>
    <weatherDesc>Sunny</weatherDesc>
    <precipMM>0.1</precipMM>
  </weather>
  <weather>
    <date>2012-01-26</date>
    <tempMaxC>4</tempMaxC>
    <tempMaxF>39</tempMaxF>
    <tempMinC>-6</tempMinC>
    <tempMinF>21</tempMinF>
    <windspeedMiles>7</windspeedMiles>
    <windspeedKmph>11</windspeedKmph>
    <winddirection>SSW</winddirection>
    <winddir16Point>SSW</winddir16Point>
    <winddirDegree>200</winddirDegree>
    <weatherCode>119</weatherCode>
    <weatherIconUrl>http://www.worldweatheronline.com/images/wsymbols01_png_64/wsymbol_0003_white_cloud.png</weatherIconUrl>
    <weatherDesc>Cloudy </weatherDesc>
    <precipMM>0.7</precipMM>
  </weather>
</data>

If you want to get information from each of the <weather> elements, using SimpleXML, you could do something like the following.


$data = new SimpleXMLElement($xmlstr);

foreach ($data->weather as $weather) {
    $date = (string) $weather->date;
    $maxC = (int) $weather->tempMaxC;
    $minC = (int) $weather->tempMinC;
    $maxF = (int) $weather->tempMaxF;
    $minF = (int) $weather->tempMinF;
    $desc = (string) $weather->weatherDesc;
    // Do something useful with these values
}

See also, Basic SimpleXML usage and examples in the PHP manual.

4

Thanks, that worked a treat!