Loading XML Sources
SimpleXML can load XML from strings, files, or URLs. DOMDocument provides more control for complex XML operations.
PHP
Intermediate
4 min read
Loading XML from Files and URLs
Example
<?php
// From string
$xml = simplexml_load_string($xmlString);
// From file
$xml = simplexml_load_file("/path/to/file.xml");
// From URL (e.g., RSS feed)
$feed = simplexml_load_file("https://example.com/feed.rss");
foreach ($feed->channel->item as $item) {
echo (string)$item->title . "
";
echo (string)$item->link . "
";
}
// Error handling
libxml_use_internal_errors(true);
$xml = simplexml_load_string($input);
if ($xml === false) {
foreach (libxml_get_errors() as $error) {
echo $error->message;
}
} Pro Tip
Use libxml_use_internal_errors(true) before parsing untrusted XML to capture errors as an array rather than emitting warnings.