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xmljson Documentation

Release 0.1.9

S Anand

Aug 01, 2017


Contents

1 About 3

2 Convert data to XML 5

3 Convert XML to data 7

4 Conventions 9

5 Options 11

6 Installation 13

7 Roadmap 15

8 More information 17
8.1 Contributing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
8.2 Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
8.3 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
8.4 Indices and tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

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xmljson Documentation, Release 0.1.9

xmljson converts XML into Python dictionary structures (trees, like in JSON) and vice-versa.

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2 Contents
CHAPTER 1

About

XML can be converted to a data structure (such as JSON) and back. For example:

<employees>
<person>
<name value="Alice"/>
</person>
<person>
<name value="Bob"/>
</person>
</employees>

can be converted into this data structure (which also a valid JSON object):

{
"employees": [{
"person": {
"name": {
"@value": "Alice"
}
}
}, {
"person": {
"name": {
"@value": "Bob"
}
}
}]
}

This uses the BadgerFish convention that prefixes attributes with @. The conventions supported by this library are:
• Abdera: Use "attributes" for attributes, "children" for nodes
• BadgerFish: Use "$" for text content, @ to prefix attributes

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• Cobra: Use "attributes" for sorted attributes (even when empty), "children" for nodes, values are
strings
• GData: Use "$t" for text content, attributes added as-is
• Parker: Use tail nodes for text content, ignore attributes
• Yahoo Use "content" for text content, attributes added as-is

4 Chapter 1. About
CHAPTER 2

Convert data to XML

To convert from a data structure to XML using the BadgerFish convention:


>>> from xmljson import badgerfish as bf
>>> bf.etree({'p': {'@id': 'main', '$': 'Hello', 'b': 'bold'}})

This returns an array of etree.Element structures. In this case, the result is identical to:
>>> from xml.etree.ElementTree import fromstring
>>> [fromstring('<p id="main">Hello<b>bold</b></p>')]

The result can be inserted into any existing root etree.Element:


>>> from xml.etree.ElementTree import Element, tostring
>>> result = bf.etree({'p': {'@id': 'main'}}, root=Element('root'))
>>> tostring(result)
'<root><p id="main"/></root>'

This includes lxml.html as well:


>>> from lxml.html import Element, tostring
>>> result = bf.etree({'p': {'@id': 'main'}}, root=Element('html'))
>>> tostring(result, doctype='<!DOCTYPE html>')
'<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html><p id="main"></p></html>'

For ease of use, strings are treated as node text. For example, both the following are the same:
>>> bf.etree({'p': {'$': 'paragraph text'}})
>>> bf.etree({'p': 'paragraph text'})

By default, non-string values are converted to strings using Python’s str, except for booleans – which are converted
into true and false (lower case). Override this behaviour using xml_fromstring:
>>> tostring(bf.etree({'x': 1.23, 'y': True}, root=Element('root')))
'<root><y>true</y><x>1.23</x></root>'
>>> from xmljson import BadgerFish # import the class

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>>> bf_str = BadgerFish(xml_tostring=str) # convert using str()


>>> tostring(bf_str.etree({'x': 1.23, 'y': True}, root=Element('root')))
'<root><y>True</y><x>1.23</x></root>'

6 Chapter 2. Convert data to XML


CHAPTER 3

Convert XML to data

To convert from XML to a data structure using the BadgerFish convention:

>>> bf.data(fromstring('<p id="main">Hello<b>bold</b></p>'))


{"p": {"$": "Hello", "@id": "main", "b": {"$": "bold"}}}

To convert this to JSON, use:

>>> from json import dumps


>>> dumps(bf.data(fromstring('<p id="main">Hello<b>bold</b></p>')))
'{"p": {"b": {"$": "bold"}, "@id": "main", "$": "Hello"}}'

To preserve the order of attributes and children, specify the dict_type as OrderedDict (or any other dictionary-
like type) in the constructor:

>>> from collections import OrderedDict


>>> from xmljson import BadgerFish # import the class
>>> bf = BadgerFish(dict_type=OrderedDict) # pick dict class

By default, values are parsed into boolean, int or float where possible (except in the Yahoo method). Override this
behaviour using xml_fromstring:

>>> dumps(bf.data(fromstring('<x>1</x>')))
'{"x": {"$": 1}}'
>>> bf_str = BadgerFish(xml_fromstring=False) # Keep XML values as strings
>>> dumps(bf_str.data(fromstring('<x>1</x>')))
'{"x": {"$": "1"}}'
>>> bf_str = BadgerFish(xml_fromstring=repr) # Custom string parser
'{"x": {"$": "\'1\'"}}'

xml_fromstring can be any custom function that takes a string and returns a value. In the example below, only
the integer 1 is converted to an integer. Everything else is retained as a float:

>>> def convert_only_int(val):


... return int(val) if val.isdigit() else val

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>>> bf_int = BadgerFish(xml_fromstring=convert_only_int)


>>> dumps(bf_int.data(fromstring('<p><x>1</x><y>2.5</y><z>NaN</z></p>')))
'{"p": {"x": {"$": 1}, "y": {"$": "2.5"}, "z": {"$": "NaN"}}}'

8 Chapter 3. Convert XML to data


CHAPTER 4

Conventions

To use a different conversion method, replace BadgerFish with one of the other classes. Currently, these are
supported:

>>> from xmljson import abdera # == xmljson.Abdera()


>>> from xmljson import badgerfish # == xmljson.BadgerFish()
>>> from xmljson import cobra # == xmljson.Cobra()
>>> from xmljson import gdata # == xmljson.GData()
>>> from xmljson import parker # == xmljson.Parker()
>>> from xmljson import yahoo # == xmljson.Yahoo()

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10 Chapter 4. Conventions
CHAPTER 5

Options

Conventions may support additional options.


The Parker convention absorbs the root element by default. parker.data(preserve_root=True) preserves
the root instance:

>>> from xmljson import parker, Parker


>>> from xml.etree.ElementTree import fromstring
>>> from json import dumps
>>> dumps(parker.data(fromstring('<x><a>1</a><b>2</b></x>')))
'{"a": 1, "b": 2}'
>>> dumps(parker.data(fromstring('<x><a>1</a><b>2</b></x>'), preserve_root=True))
'{"x": {"a": 1, "b": 2}}'

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12 Chapter 5. Options
CHAPTER 6

Installation

This is a pure-Python package built for Python 2.6+ and Python 3.0+. To set up:

pip install xmljson

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14 Chapter 6. Installation
CHAPTER 7

Roadmap

• Test cases for Unicode


• Support for namespaces and namespace prefixes

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16 Chapter 7. Roadmap
CHAPTER 8

More information

Contributing

Contributions are welcome, and they are greatly appreciated! Every little bit helps, and credit will always be given.
You can contribute in many ways:

Types of Contributions

Report Bugs

Report bugs at https://github.com/sanand0/xmljson/issues.


If you are reporting a bug, please include:
• Your operating system name and version.
• Any details about your local setup that might be helpful in troubleshooting.
• Detailed steps to reproduce the bug.

Fix Bugs

Look through the GitHub issues for bugs. Anything tagged with “bug” is open to whoever wants to implement it.

Implement Features

Look through the GitHub issues for features. Anything tagged with “feature” is open to whoever wants to implement
it.

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Write Documentation

xmljson could always use more documentation, whether as part of the official xmljson docs, in docstrings, or even on
the web in blog posts, articles, and such.

Submit Feedback

The best way to send feedback is to file an issue at https://github.com/sanand0/xmljson/issues.


If you are proposing a feature:
• Explain in detail how it would work.
• Keep the scope as narrow as possible, to make it easier to implement.
• Remember that this is a volunteer-driven project, and that contributions are welcome :)

Get Started!

xmljson runs on Python 2.6+ and Python 3+ in any OS. To set up the development environment:
1. Fork the xmljson repo
2. Clone your fork locally:

git clone git@github.com:your_user_id/xmljson.git

3. Install your local copy into a virtualenv. If you have virtualenvwrapper installed, this is how you set up your
fork for local development:

$ mkvirtualenv xmljson
$ cd xmljson/
$ python setup.py develop

4. Create a branch for local development:

git checkout -b <branch-name>

Now you can make your changes locally.


5. When you’re done making changes, check that your changes pass flake8 and the tests, as well as provide rea-
sonable test coverage:

make release-test

Note: This uses the python.exe in your PATH. To change the Python used, run:

export PYTHON=/path/to/python # e.g. path to Python 3.4+

6. Commit your changes and push your branch to GitHub. Then send a pull request:

$ git add .
$ git commit -m "Your detailed description of your changes."
$ git push --set-upstream origin <branch-name>

7. To delete your branch:

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git branch -d <branch-name>


git push origin --delete <branch-name>

Pull Request Guidelines

Before you submit a pull request, check that it meets these guidelines:
1. The pull request should include tests.
2. If the pull request adds functionality, the docs should be updated. Put your new functionality into a function
with a docstring, and add the feature to the list in README.rst.
3. The pull request should work for Python 2.7 and 3.4.

Release

1. Test the release by running:

make release-test

2. Update __version__ = x.x.x in xmljson


3. Update HISTORY.rst with changes
3. Commit, create an annotated tag and push the code:

git commit .
git tag -a vx.x.x
git push --follow-tags

4. To release to PyPi, run:

make clean
python setup.py sdist bdist_wheel --universal
twine upload dist/*

Credits

Development Lead

• S Anand <root.node@gmail.com>

Contributors

• Dag Wieers <dag@wieers.com>

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History

0.1.9 (1 Aug 2017)

• Bugfix and test cases for multiple nested children in Abdera convention
Thanks to @mukultaneja

0.1.8 (9 May 2017)

• Add Abdera and Cobra conventions


• Add Parker.data(preserve_root=True) option to preserve root element in Parker convention.
Thanks to @dagwieers

0.1.6 (18 Feb 2016)

• Add xml_fromstring= and xml_tostring= parameters to constructor to customise string conversion


from and to XML.

0.1.5 (23 Sep 2015)

• Add the Yahoo XML to JSON conversion method.

0.1.4 (20 Sep 2015)

• Fix GData.etree() conversion of attributes. (They were ignored. They should be added as-is.)

0.1.3 (20 Sep 2015)

• Simplify {'p': {'$': 'text'}} to {'p': 'text'} in BadgerFish and GData conventions.
• Add test cases for .etree() – mainly from the MDN JXON article.
• dict_type/list_type do not need to inherit from dict/list

0.1.2 (18 Sep 2015)

• Always use the dict_type class to create dictionaries (which defaults to OrderedDict to preserve order
of keys)
• Update documentation, test cases
• Remove support for Python 2.6 (since we need collections.Counter)
• Make the Travis CI build pass

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0.1.1 (18 Sep 2015)

• Convert true, false and numeric values from strings to Python types
• xmljson.parker.data() is compliant with Parker convention (bugs resolved)

0.1.0 (15 Sep 2015)

• Two-way conversions via BadgerFish, GData and Parker conventions.


• First release on PyPI.

Indices and tables

• genindex
• modindex
• search

8.4. Indices and tables 21

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