Hello,

I have two similar xml files. I want to merge the contetnts of these two xml file into a third xml file which will be created on the fly. I do not want to use xslt. What is the best way to accomplish this.

Thanks,

XSLT is the best way to accomplish it. Unless you just want to append one to the other- without regaurd to the contents.. then you can just open the files and merge them.

Hal Levy
Web Developer, PDI Inc.

NOT a Wiley/Wrox Employee

But the problem is the root element in both the xml files are same. When i merge two xml file and create a new xml file, I need only one root element not just merged content.

for example:

[u]1.xml</u>
<person>
    <name>
       <first>Bill</first>
       <last>Gates</last>
    </name>
</person>

[u]2.xml</u>
<person>
    <name>
       <first>Steve</first>
       <last>Ballmer</last>
    </name>
</person>

when I merge these two file, i need the following xml in the third xml file.

<person>
    <name>
       <first>Bill</first>
       <last>Gates</last>
    </name>
    <name>
       <first>Steve</first>
       <last>Ballmer</last>
    </name>
</person>

You asked for the best solution, and you said you didn't want to use XSLT. Well, the best solution is XSLT, whether you like it or not.

<xsl:template match="/">
<xsl:copy>
  <xsl:copy-of select="*/node()"/>
  <xsl:copy-of select="document('other.xml')/*/node()"/>
</xsl:copy>
</xsl:template>

Of course if you're dead set against XSLT and don't mind using a working-draft language you could also use XQuery:

element {node-name(doc('first.xml')/*)} {
  doc('first.xml')/*/node(), doc('second.xml')/*/node()
}

The only other alternatives are (a) to write a couple of hundred lines of Java or similar using the DOM (or JDOM, etc), or (b) to do it at the source XML level with some kind of Perl hack: not recommended.

Michael Kay

Michael Kay
http://saxon.sf.net/

AS Michael has pointed out- You should use XSLT.

Hal Levy
Web Developer, PDI Inc.

NOT a Wiley/Wrox Employee

you can do the same with Visual basic also.
Reference to MSXML2 create a one dom object
ObjDom.Load("One.xml")
set objNodeList1 = objDom.SlectNodeList("root/person").clone;
ObjDom.Load("Two.xml")
set objNodeList2 = objDom.SlectNodeList("root/person").clone;
now append the both nodelists to the new dom object
and take the xml out.
you can make this as a dll and register in your appserver which accepts the node to be copyed and path and xmlstrings and return xml from the function so you need not have to write the code again and again.
Regards



Vinay Bhushan.S
Zenith Software Ltd.

http://www28.brinkster.com/developerhome/