Retrieve data from XML to java object

Hi I am trying a simple example. Extract values from XML to java objects.

My method is :

public NodeList getAllCompany( String companyName)
throws SAXException, IOException, ParserConfigurationException {

DocumentBuilderFactory dbf = DocumentBuilderFactory.newInstance();
DocumentBuilder db = dbf.newDocumentBuilder();
File file = new File("transfer.xml");
// if (file.exists()) {
Document doc = db.parse(file);

// Lectura de contenido en pantalla

Element docEle = doc.getDocumentElement();

// Print root element of the document
System.out.println("Root element of the document: "
+ docEle.getNodeName());
//The result is config

NodeList companyData = null;
companyData = docEle.getElementsByTagName("company");

System.out.println(companyData.item(0).getLocalName()+"*************************************************************************"); //The result is null

return companyData;

}

And my XML is called transfer.xml and is:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<config>
<companies>
<company>
<name>Pefere</name>
<baseUrl>1</baseUrl>
<startDate>01/02/2012</startDate>
<endDate>01/09/2012</endDate>
<dimensions>
<CityName>Boston</CityName>
<browser>Explorer</browser>
</dimensions>
<metrics>

<visits>3</visits>
</metrics>
<ids>1</ids>
<sorting></sorting>
<filters></filters>
</company>
</companies>
</config>

I have located the xml file in C:\home\tomcat\bin\transfer.xml

Any expert around?

Many Thanks,

DocumentBuilderFactory instance is default to namespace un-aware. In the case other than namespace aware, the local name of a node is not populated, and hence, null.

If for some reason you need to use getLocalName() to return a non-null result, you should add that setting explicitly immediately after the set up of DocumentBuilderFactory instance, otherwise, you can use getNodeName() for it or, in case the node is an element, cast it to its subclass Element and use getTagName() for it.

Thanks for you reply I have learned from it, it works now. My XML was bad formed

Regards,

Hi,

I have a new question about XML.The XML code is:

<company>
<dimension>

<visitor>
</visitor>

</dimension>

<metric>

<visitor>
</visitor>

</metric>

</company>

Using the XML PARSER object I can access to "dimesion", but after that I try acces to "metrics" but it launches an error(it doesn't find metric tag).

Any idea, please?

Many Thanks,

Angus Ferguson wrote:Hi,
.
.
.

<metric>

<visitor>
</visitor>

</metric>

.
.
.
but after that I try acces to "metrics" but it launches an error(it doesn't find metric tag).
.

Is it "metric" or "metrics"?

Hi,

I use metric in my XML and when I try t retrieve the value using getTagValue("metric", elemento)

Thanks

Hi again, I have change somethings. This is my XML:

<company>

<name>companyName</name>
<baseUrl>TestURL</baseUrl>
<startDate>01/02/2012</startDate>
<endDate>01/09/2012</endDate>

<dimension>

<visitor>

<browser>true</browser>

</visitor>

</dimension>

<company>

I want access to my data in the XML, and this is my javaCode:

public Node getAllCompany(String fileName, String companyName)
throws SAXException, IOException, ParserConfigurationException {

DocumentBuilderFactory dbf = DocumentBuilderFactory.newInstance();
DocumentBuilder db = dbf.newDocumentBuilder();
File file = new File(fileName);
// if (file.exists()) {
Document doc = db.parse(file);

// Transform the xml file in an object

Element docEle = doc.getDocumentElement();

NodeList companyData = null;

companyData = docEle.getElementsByTagName("company");

System.out.println(companyData .getLength()+"companyData .getLength()");

for (int temp = 0; temp < companyData .getLength(); ++temp) {

Node nNode = companyData.item(temp);
if (nNode.getNodeType() == Node.ELEMENT_NODE) {

Element ecompanyData= (Element) nNode;

// System.out.println("visitor: " + getTagValue("visitor", eElement));

//Company Names

NodeList ecompanyNameList = ecompanyData.getElementsByTagName("name");
Element ecompanyNameElement = (Element)ecompanyNameList.item(0);

NodeList nameList = ecompanyNameElement.getChildNodes();
System.out.println("ecompanyNameElement: " +
((Node)nameList.item(0)).getNodeValue().trim());

//Company Dimension

NodeList ecompanyDimensionList = ecompanyData.getElementsByTagName("dimension");
Element ecompanyDimensionElement = (Element)ecompanyDimensionList.item(0);

NodeList dimensionList = ecompanyDimensionElement.getChildNodes();
System.out.println("ecompanyDimensionElement: " +
((Node)dimensionList.item(0)).getNodeValue().trim());

for (int i = 0; i < dimensionList.getLength(); i++) {

NodeList visitorDimensions= ecompanyDimensionElement.getElementsByTagName("visitor");

for(int j=0; j<visitorDimensions.getLength(); j++)
{
Element listDimension = (Element)visitorDimensions.item(j);
System.out.println("C ---- "+listDimension.getAttribute("browser"));
// NodeList recordFolders = listDimension.getElementsByTagName("rma:recordFolder");

}

// NodeList categories = serie.getElementsByTagName("dod:recordCategory")

//Company Visitor

}
}

It only retrieves company name, but nothing more. Any help please?

Many Thanks,

Cheers!

Hi, using the code which I have posted before when I ask fo dimension length I got 23 but is not 23 childs

Any idea, please?

Thanks

I suggest you use all along getElementsByTagName() if that method you understand better. It also flattens the hierarchical structure so that you can use for instance ecompanyData to get to "visitor" or other more obvious simple Elements directly. That simplifies the algorithm. Then you can use getTextContent() to get the text data you need.

The problem also is that getChildNodes() get literally Element as well as Text nodes. That is why you have to code further conditional to verify a node's type is ELEMENT_NODE before going to lower levels...

Read serious tutorials and practice their examples are more efficient in learning and you form less wrong concepts/impressions by pure imagination during trial and error.