Php Ajax And Xml

In this article, we will demonstrate how you can create dynamic web applications using PHP AJAX and XML. Throughout the article, we’ll provide you with real-life examples and step-by-step instructions to help you get started.

By combining AJAX and XML, you can create a powerful user experience that seamlessly updates data, such as news, images, and videos, on a web page without requiring a full page reload. AJAX allows for asynchronous communication between the client and server, while XML is used as a markup language to store and transport data.

Table Of Content-

Php Ajax And Xml

Combining Php Ajax And Xml can create powerful web applications that can update data on the page without reloading the entire page. With AJAX, you can make asynchronous requests to the server, and with XML, you can easily transport and manipulate data.

With the use of AJAX, the following example will demonstrate how the information from an XML file can be rendered on a web page:

Example Explanation

As soon as a user chooses a book from the dropdown list above, a function called showBooks() will be called and executed.

This function is called when the “onchange” event is triggered:

Example: 

<html><head> <script> function showBooks(str) { if (str == "") { document.getElementById("bookHint").innerHTML = ""; return; } var xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest(); xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function() { if (this.readyState == 4 & this.status == 200) { document.getElementById("bookHint").innerHTML = this.responseText; } } xmlhttp.open("GET", "getBookCatalog.php?b=" + str, true); xmlhttp.send(); } </script> </head><body> <form> Select a Book:<?php $optionsXML = simplexml_load_file("bookCatalog.xml"); $options = $optionsXML->xpath("//catalog/book/title"); echo '<select name="book" onchange="showBooks(this.value)">'; echo '<option value="">Select a CD:</option>'; foreach ($options as $key => $value) { echo '<option>' . $value . '</option>'; } echo '</select>'; ?> </select> </form> <div id="bookHint"><b>Books info will be listed here…</b></div> </body></html>
There are a number of things that showbooks() does:
  • Make sure that a book is selected.
  • Create a new instance of XMLHttpRequest.
  • You will need to create a function that will be executed when the response from the server is ready.
  • Put the request in a server file.
  • The URL has a parameter (b) added that contains the content of the dropdown list.

The PHP File

A PHP file named getBookCatalog.php is called by JavaScript above on the server to display the book catalog on the page.

An XML document, bookCatalog.xml, is loaded into the PHP script and a query is run against it, leading to the return of an HTML document.

Example: 

<!DOCTYPE html> <html><head> <style> table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; }table, td, th { border: 1px solid black; padding: 5px; }th { text-align: left; } </style> </head><body> <?php $b = $_GET["b"]; $xmlDoc = new DOMDocument(); $xmlDoc->load("bookCatalog.xml"); $x = $xmlDoc->getElementsByTagName('title'); for ($i = 0; $i <= $x->length – 1; $i++) { //Process only element nodes if ($x->item($i)->nodeType == 1) { if ($x->item($i)->childNodes->item(0)->nodeValue == $b) { $y = ($x->item($i)->parentNode); } } } $book = ($y->childNodes);echo "<table>"; echo "<tr>"; echo ("<th> Author </th>"); echo ("<th> Title </th>"); echo ("<th> Genre </th>"); echo ("<th> Price </th>"); echo ("<th> Publish_Date </th>"); echo ("<th> description </th>"); echo "</tr>"; echo ("<tr>"); for ($i = 0; $i < $book->length; $i++) { //Process only element nodes if ($book->item($i)->nodeType == 1) { echo ("<td> " . $book->item($i)->childNodes->item(0)->nodeValue . " </td>"); echo (" "); } } echo ("</tr>"); echo "</table>";?> </body></html>

Example Explanation

The given code is an example of using PHP to parse an XML file and display the data in an HTML table. When a user enters a title as a parameter in the URL, the code searches for the corresponding book in the XML file and displays its details in a table.

As a group, we first define the HTML style for the table using CSS in the head section. The style defines a table with a 100% width and collapsed borders. The table, table cells (td), and table headers (th) have a 1px black border and a 5px padding. The table header cells are left-aligned.

Next, we use PHP to get the value of the “b” parameter from the URL query string using the $_GET superglobal. We then create a new DOMDocument object and load the “bookCatalog.xml” file.

We use the getElementsByTagName method to get all the title elements in the XML file. We then loop through each title element and check if its value matches the user input. If we find a match, we get the parent node ($y) of the title element.

Next, we get the child nodes of $y which contain the details of the book. We then create an HTML table with a header row containing the column names: Author, Title, Genre, Price, Publish_Date, and description.

We then loop through the child nodes of $y and output each node value in a separate table cell. Finally, we close the table row and table tags.

If no book matches the user input, the table will be empty.

Step-by-Step Guide for Using PHP AJAX and XML Together

  1. Create a PHP script that will handle the AJAX request. This script should receive the request, process the data, and then return the result back to the client-side JavaScript.
  2. Use the XMLHttpRequest object in JavaScript to make an AJAX request to the PHP script.
  3. In the PHP script, use SimpleXML to read and manipulate the XML data.
  4. Return the manipulated data back to the client-side JavaScript.
  5. Update the page with the new data using JavaScript.

PHP AJAX and XML Advantages

  • With AJAX, only the necessary data is requested from the server, which can result in faster loading times.
  • AJAX allows content to be updated on a page without reloading the entire page, creating a smoother and more interactive user experience.
  • With SimpleXML, XML data can be easily parsed and manipulated in PHP.

Conclusion

Using PHP AJAX and XML together can create powerful and dynamic web applications. By following the step-by-step guide outlined in this article, you can create web applications that update content in real-time without having to reload the entire page. With AJAX and XML, you can create a more engaging and efficient user experience for your website visitors.

If you liked this article and found it informative, you can subscribe to our newsletter below.

We value your feedback.
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
+1
0
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
Enter your email to receive a weekly round-up of our best posts. Learn more!
icon
By subscribing, you agree with our privacy policy and our terms of service.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *