Loop through xml

hacking_mike · February 2nd, 2010, 03:32 PM

Im a bit stuck. Tried different things without result.
This is the xml i get from an application:

Code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>

<wizard wizardid="Workflow1">
<action id="Uitleg2">Uitleg</action>
<action id="Uitleg1">Uitleg</action>
<action id="IfElseActivity1">IfElseActivity

<action id="IfElseBranchActivity1">IfElseBranchActivity
<action id="Uitleg3">Uitleg</action>
</action>
<action id="IfElseBranchActivity2">IfElseBranchActivity</action>
</action>
</wizard>

I want to loop trough this xml to read id and action (for example 'uitleg2' and 'uitleg') The xml can go a lot of levels deep. So I need a function to loop through the xml. This is what I have but, of course, does not work.

Code:

dim xml

Response.Buffer = True
Set xml =  server.createobject("Microsoft.xmldom")
xml.async = false
xml.load (Server.MapPath("test.xml"))
openXml()


function openXml()
	dim objChildNodes, strNode
	set objNode = XML.selectNodes("wizard/action")
    	For i = 0 To (objNode.length - 1)
        	Set objChildNodes = objNode(i)
				Readnode(objChildNodes)
		Next
End function

Function readNode(strNode2)
	on error resume next
	response.write(strNode2.nodename & " " & strNode2.text & " " & strNode2.getAttribute("id") & "<br>")
	on error goto 0
	
	If strNode2.hasChildNodes() then
        set oNodeList2 = strNode2.childnodes 
		For Each node2 In oNodeList2
				Readnode(node2)
		Next
	End if
End function

This is the result

Code:

action Uitleg Uitleg2
action Uitleg Uitleg1
action IfElseActivity IfElseBranchActivity Uitleg IfElseBranchActivity IfElseActivity1
action IfElseBranchActivity Uitleg IfElseBranchActivity1
action Uitleg Uitleg3
action IfElseBranchActivity IfElseBranchActivity2

This result is a bit funny...
Can someone help me out?

Old Pedant · February 2nd, 2010, 10:04 PM

Helps to format the XML readably...

Code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<wizard wizardid="Workflow1">
<action id="Uitleg2">Uitleg</action>
<action id="Uitleg1">Uitleg</action>
<action id="IfElseActivity1">
    IfElseActivity
    <action id="IfElseBranchActivity1">
        IfElseBranchActivity
        <action id="Uitleg3">Uitleg</action>
    </action>
    <action id="IfElseBranchActivity2">IfElseBranchActivity</action>
</action>
</wizard>

Okay, that's sensible.

So what *DO* you want the OUTPUT to be???

*IF* you intend to IGNORE the id values, then I would think that a reasonable result might be

Code:

Uitleg
Uitleg
IfElseActivity > IfElseBranchActivity > Uitleg
IfElseActivity > IfElseBranchActivity

But maybe that's not what you intended??

hacking_mike · February 3rd, 2010, 02:43 AM

Code:

I do want to have the id values back so:
uitleg2 > uitleg
uitleg1 > uitleg
Ifelseactivity1 > ifelseactivity
ifelsebranchactivity1 > ifelsebranchactivity
uitleg3 > uitleg
ifelsebranchactivity2 > ifelsebranchactivity

The i need to know the 'depth' of the children (is there a property for that?). I need to know that uitleg3 is a child of ifelsebranchactivity1 which is a child of ifelsebranchactivity

I hope this clears things up

hacking_mike · February 3rd, 2010, 05:32 AM

I want the output to be:

Code:

Uitleg Uitleg2
Uitleg Uitleg1
IfElseActivity IfElseActivity1
IfElseBranchActivity IfElseBranchActivity1
Uitleg Uitleg3
IfElseBranchActivity IfElseBranchActivity2

I also need to now the level of the children so that I know that IfElseBranchActivity1
and IfElseBranchActivity2 are children of IfElseActivity1 and Uitleg3 is a child of IfElseBranchActivity1.

Old Pedant · February 3rd, 2010, 03:08 PM

But how do you want the data presented???

We could do this easily enough:

Code:

Uitleg2::Uitleg
Uitleg1::Uitleg
IfElseActivity1::IfElseActivity > IfElseBranchActivity1::IfElseBranchActivity > Uitleg3::Uitleg
IfElseActivity1::IfElseActivity > IfElseBranchActivity2::IfElseBranchActivity

Where I'm using :: to indicate id/text value pairs and > to indicate levels.
Change the delimiters to suit yourself.

Or we could do this:

Code:

(1)Uitleg2>Uitleg
(1)Uitleg1>Uitleg
(1)IfElseActivity1>IfElseActivity 
(2)IfElseBranchActivity1>IfElseBranchActivity 
(3)Uitleg3>Uitleg
(2)IfElseBranchActivity2>IfElseBranchActivity

That tells depth but doesn't say who is a child of whom.

Again, how should the full data be presented???

[/code]

hacking_mike · February 4th, 2010, 05:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Pedant

But how do you want the data presented???

Code:

(1)Uitleg2>Uitleg
(1)Uitleg1>Uitleg
(1)IfElseActivity1>IfElseActivity 
(2)IfElseBranchActivity1>IfElseBranchActivity 
(3)Uitleg3>Uitleg
(2)IfElseBranchActivity2>IfElseBranchActivity

In the loop I want to create a dynamic form. With a case statement. So 'uitleg' means a textbox. With the value 'Uitleg2' I read in the database to have the initial value of the textbox.

'IfElseActivity' will be a dropdown. the IfElseBranchActivity's is the number of options in the dropdown and so on. So your example is ok. How do I achive this?

hacking_mike · February 4th, 2010, 04:24 PM

Can someone help me out please. Tried for another day but still did not find the solution.

Old Pedant · February 4th, 2010, 09:33 PM

It would have helped *A LOT* if you had simply SHOWN the <form> you want to produce from that HTML.

See, what you say *still* doesn't make sense.

Quote:

So 'uitleg' means a textbox. With the value 'Uitleg2'

FIne. Now what is the *NAME* of the textbox???
Is it supposed to be

Code:

<input name="uitleg" value="Uitleg2" />

or did you miswrite that??? Did you mean "name" when you wrote "value"?? That is:

Code:

<input name="Uitleg2"/>

???

PLEASE show the ACTUAL <form> that you want to have result from that XML.

This one, especially, makes no sense:

Code:

IfElseActivity1::IfElseActivity > IfElseBranchActivity1::IfElseBranchActivity > Uitleg3::Uitleg

??? You want a textbox *inside* a <select>??? I dont' get that.

hacking_mike · February 5th, 2010, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Pedant

It would have helped *A LOT* if you had simply SHOWN the <form> you want to produce from that HTML.

See, what you say *still* doesn't make sense.

FIne. Now what is the *NAME* of the textbox???
Is it supposed to be

Code:

<input name="uitleg" value="Uitleg2" />

or did you miswrite that??? Did you mean "name" when you

The name for the textbox I will read from the database but the result will be something like this.

Code:

<input name="fromDatabase" value="Uitleg2" />

It is very complicated and I can't show you much as I'm still prototyping.
Can't you explain me how I can read the depth en how the text property only gives me the first "word".

Sorry that I can't make it very clear.

I read the xml > this gives me "uitleg2" > with the information from the database and the xml file I contruct a formfield.

Bottemline is: How do I get the information from the xml?

Old Pedant · February 5th, 2010, 07:07 PM

I'm still not sure exactly what to give you, but here:

Code:

<%
testxml = _
"<?xml version=""1.0"" encoding=""ISO-8859-1""?>" & vbNewLine & _
"<wizard wizardid=""Workflow1"">" & vbNewLine & _
"<action id=""Uitleg2"">Uitleg</action>" & vbNewLine & _
"<action id=""Uitleg1"">Uitleg</action>" & vbNewLine & _
"<action id=""IfElseActivity1"">" & vbNewLine & _
"    IfElseActivity" & vbNewLine & _
"    <action id=""IfElseBranchActivity1"">" & vbNewLine & _
"        IfElseBranchActivity" & vbNewLine & _
"        <action id=""Uitleg3"">Uitleg</action>" & vbNewLine & _
"    </action>" & vbNewLine & _
"    <action id=""IfElseBranchActivity2"">IfElseBranchActivity</action>" & vbNewLine & _
"</action>" & vbNewLine & _
"</wizard>"
 
Set xml = CreateObject("msxml2.DomDocument")
xml.LoadXML testxml
Set start = xml.SelectSingleNode("wizard") 
Recurse start, "", 0
Sub Recurse( node, path, level )
    Dim kids, kid, nname, nid
    If node.nodeTypeString = "text" Then
        Response.Write "(" & level & ") " & path & " = " & node.Text & "<br/>" & vbNewLine
    Else 
        nname = node.nodeName
        nid = node.Attributes(0).value
        Set kids = node.ChildNodes
        For Each kid In kids
            Recurse kid, path & "/" & node.nodeName & "[id=" & nid & "]", level+1
        Next
    End If
End Sub
%>

That code produces this output:

Code:

(2) /wizard[id=Workflow1]/action[id=Uitleg2] = Uitleg
(2) /wizard[id=Workflow1]/action[id=Uitleg1] = Uitleg
(2) /wizard[id=Workflow1]/action[id=IfElseActivity1] = IfElseActivity
(3) /wizard[id=Workflow1]/action[id=IfElseActivity1]/action[id=IfElseBranchActivity1] = IfElseBranchActivity
(4) /wizard[id=Workflow1]/action[id=IfElseActivity1]/action[id=IfElseBranchActivity1]/action[id=Uitleg3] = Uitleg
(3) /wizard[id=Workflow1]/action[id=IfElseActivity1]/action[id=IfElseBranchActivity2] = IfElseBranchActivity

The number at the front is the "depth" (level number) where the match was found.
The "path" then shows:
/nodeTagName[id=nodeId]
and, at the end, the text of the node, when found.

You should be able to remove the parts of that which you don't care about to get what you need.