Issues loading XML file data into a PHP object

Question

I’m setting up a PHP site which will gather information from a Dell iDRAC. I want to use the returned information to create a PHP object. The information returned from the first part of the script looks like this.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Envelope xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope" xmlnwsa="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/08/addressing" xmlnwsen="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/09/enumeration" xmlnn1="http://schemas.dell.com/wbem/wscim/1/cim-schema/2/DCIM_SystemView" xmlnxsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
  <Header>
    <To>http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/08/addressing/role/anonymous</To>
    <Action>http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/09/enumeration/PullResponse</Action>
    <RelatesTo>uuid:e5ef952f-fb48-1b48-8003-06c7395d1500</RelatesTo>
    <MessageID>uuid:36a3a786-fb4c-1b4c-8012-fc140555dbe0</MessageID>
  </Header>
  <Body>
    <PullResponse>
      <Items>
        <DCIM_SystemView>
          <AssetTag/>
          <BIOSReleaseDate>01/20/2014</BIOSReleaseDate>
          <BIOSVersionString>2.1.2</BIOSVersionString>
          <BaseBoardChassisSlot>NA</BaseBoardChassisSlot>
          <BatteryRollupStatus>1</BatteryRollupStatus>
          <BladeGeometry>255</BladeGeometry>
          <BoardPartNumber>03015MA01</BoardPartNumber>
          <BoardSerialNumber>CN7475128I0205</BoardSerialNumber>
          <CPLDVersion>1.0.0</CPLDVersion>
          <CPURollupStatus>1</CPURollupStatus>
          <ChassisModel/>
          <ChassisName>Main System Chassis</ChassisName>
          <ChassisServiceTag>5P5KMW1</ChassisServiceTag>
          <ChassisSystemHeight>5</ChassisSystemHeight>
          <DeviceDescription>System</DeviceDescription>
          <ExpressServiceCode>12404926945</ExpressServiceCode>
          <FQDD>System.Embedded.1</FQDD>
          <FanRollupStatus>1</FanRollupStatus>
          <HostName/>
          <InstanceID>System.Embedded.1</InstanceID>
          <LastSystemInventoryTime>20140608040932.000000+000</LastSystemInventoryTime>
          <LastUpdateTime>20140522204842.000000+000</LastUpdateTime>
          <LicensingRollupStatus>1</LicensingRollupStatus>
          <LifecycleControllerVersion>2.1.0</LifecycleControllerVersion>
          <Manufacturer>Dell Inc.</Manufacturer>
          <MaxCPUSockets>2</MaxCPUSockets>
          <MaxDIMMSlots>12</MaxDIMMSlots>
          <MaxPCIeSlots>6</MaxPCIeSlots>
          <MemoryOperationMode>OptimizerMode</MemoryOperationMode>
          <Model>PowerEdge T420</Model>
          <NodeID>5P5KMW1</NodeID>
          <PSRollupStatus>1</PSRollupStatus>
          <PlatformGUID>31574d4f-c0b5-4b80-3510-00504c4c4544</PlatformGUID>
          <PopulatedCPUSockets>2</PopulatedCPUSockets>
          <PopulatedDIMMSlots>4</PopulatedDIMMSlots>
          <PopulatedPCIeSlots>1</PopulatedPCIeSlots>
          <PowerCap>317</PowerCap>
          <PowerCapEnabledState>3</PowerCapEnabledState>
          <PowerState>2</PowerState>
          <PrimaryStatus>1</PrimaryStatus>
          <RollupStatus>1</RollupStatus>
          <ServiceTag>5P5KMW1</ServiceTag>
          <StorageRollupStatus>1</StorageRollupStatus>
          <SysMemErrorMethodology>6</SysMemErrorMethodology>
          <SysMemFailOverState>NotInUse</SysMemFailOverState>
          <SysMemLocation>3</SysMemLocation>
          <SysMemMaxCapacitySize>393216</SysMemMaxCapacitySize>
          <SysMemPrimaryStatus>1</SysMemPrimaryStatus>
          <SysMemTotalSize>16384</SysMemTotalSize>
          <SystemGeneration>12G Monolithic</SystemGeneration>
          <SystemID>1273</SystemID>
          <SystemRevision>0</SystemRevision>
          <TempRollupStatus>1</TempRollupStatus>
          <UUID>4c4c4544-0050-3510-804b-b5c04f4d5731</UUID>
          <VoltRollupStatus>1</VoltRollupStatus>
          <smbiosGUID>44454c4c-5000-1035-804b-b5c04f4d5731</smbiosGUID>
        </DCIM_SystemView>
      </Items>
      <EndOfSequence/>
    </PullResponse>
  </Body>
</Envelope>

When I try to use the simplexml_load_string function, it returns the following errors and does not process the data as a string.

PHP Warning: simplexml_load_string(): Entity: line 1: parser error : XML declaration allowed only at the start of the document in php shell code on line 1

PHP Warning: simplexml_load_string(): in php shell code on line 1

PHP Warning: simplexml_load_string(): ^ in php shell code on line 1

However, if I use the EXACT same XML and manually create the variable like this :

<<<XML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Envelope xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope" xmlnwsa="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/08/addressing" xmlnwsen="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/09/enumeration" xmlnn1="http://schemas.dell.com/wbem/wscim/1/cim-schema/2/DCIM_SystemView" xmlnxsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
  <Header>
    <To>http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/08/addressing/role/anonymous</To>
    <Action>http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/09/enumeration/PullResponse</Action>
    <RelatesTo>uuid:641403a8-fb4a-1b4a-8003-06c7395d1500</RelatesTo>
    <MessageID>uuid:b4caac95-fb4d-1b4d-8051-fc140555dbe0</MessageID>
  </Header>
  <Body>
    <PullResponse>
      <Items>
        <DCIM_SystemView>
          <AssetTag/>
          <BIOSReleaseDate>01/20/2014</BIOSReleaseDate>
          <BIOSVersionString>2.1.2</BIOSVersionString>
          <BaseBoardChassisSlot>NA</BaseBoardChassisSlot>
          <BatteryRollupStatus>1</BatteryRollupStatus>
          <BladeGeometry>255</BladeGeometry>
          <BoardPartNumber>03015MA01</BoardPartNumber>
          <BoardSerialNumber>CN7475128I0205</BoardSerialNumber>
          <CPLDVersion>1.0.0</CPLDVersion>
          <CPURollupStatus>1</CPURollupStatus>
          <ChassisModel/>
          <ChassisName>Main System Chassis</ChassisName>
          <ChassisServiceTag>5P5KMW1</ChassisServiceTag>
          <ChassisSystemHeight>5</ChassisSystemHeight>
          <DeviceDescription>System</DeviceDescription>
          <ExpressServiceCode>12404926945</ExpressServiceCode>
          <FQDD>System.Embedded.1</FQDD>
          <FanRollupStatus>1</FanRollupStatus>
          <HostName/>
          <InstanceID>System.Embedded.1</InstanceID>
          <LastSystemInventoryTime>20140608040932.000000+000</LastSystemInventoryTime>
          <LastUpdateTime>20140522204842.000000+000</LastUpdateTime>
          <LicensingRollupStatus>1</LicensingRollupStatus>
          <LifecycleControllerVersion>2.1.0</LifecycleControllerVersion>
          <Manufacturer>Dell Inc.</Manufacturer>
          <MaxCPUSockets>2</MaxCPUSockets>
          <MaxDIMMSlots>12</MaxDIMMSlots>
          <MaxPCIeSlots>6</MaxPCIeSlots>
          <MemoryOperationMode>OptimizerMode</MemoryOperationMode>
          <Model>PowerEdge T420</Model>
          <NodeID>5P5KMW1</NodeID>
          <PSRollupStatus>1</PSRollupStatus>
          <PlatformGUID>31574d4f-c0b5-4b80-3510-00504c4c4544</PlatformGUID>
          <PopulatedCPUSockets>2</PopulatedCPUSockets>
          <PopulatedDIMMSlots>4</PopulatedDIMMSlots>
          <PopulatedPCIeSlots>1</PopulatedPCIeSlots>
          <PowerCap>317</PowerCap>
          <PowerCapEnabledState>3</PowerCapEnabledState>
          <PowerState>2</PowerState>
          <PrimaryStatus>1</PrimaryStatus>
          <RollupStatus>1</RollupStatus>
          <ServiceTag>5P5KMW1</ServiceTag>
          <StorageRollupStatus>1</StorageRollupStatus>
          <SysMemErrorMethodology>6</SysMemErrorMethodology>
          <SysMemFailOverState>NotInUse</SysMemFailOverState>
          <SysMemLocation>3</SysMemLocation>
          <SysMemMaxCapacitySize>393216</SysMemMaxCapacitySize>
          <SysMemPrimaryStatus>1</SysMemPrimaryStatus>
          <SysMemTotalSize>16384</SysMemTotalSize>
          <SystemGeneration>12G Monolithic</SystemGeneration>
          <SystemID>1273</SystemID>
          <SystemRevision>0</SystemRevision>
          <TempRollupStatus>1</TempRollupStatus>
          <UUID>4c4c4544-0050-3510-804b-b5c04f4d5731</UUID>
          <VoltRollupStatus>1</VoltRollupStatus>
          <smbiosGUID>44454c4c-5000-1035-804b-b5c04f4d5731</smbiosGUID>
        </DCIM_SystemView>
      </Items>
      <EndOfSequence/>
    </PullResponse>
  </Body>
</Envelope>
XML;

It works like a charm. So, my question is simple. How can I tell PHP to process the string the same way it processes the XML like it does if the XML identifier is used. I have tried to reprocess the string like this:

 $new_string = <<<XML
   $string
     XML;

But no go. Any other ideas?

i tried your first example on simple_xml_load_string(), and it works fine, and XML string interpretation <<<XML XML; also works. codepad.viper-7.com/ltKlNI — user1978142
– user1978142, Commented Jun 8, 2014 at 4:02
Hi there kevinabelita, if you create the variable with quotes (' ') instead of using < < < XML then it gives you the same results I'm getting. Also, the PHP version is 5.3.3. — Ethan
– Ethan, Commented Jun 8, 2014 at 4:36

Community · Accepted Answer · 2020-06-20 09:12:55Z

1

Are you using file_get_contents to actually load the XML file into a string before using simplexml_load_string which—as the name states—loads XML from a string?

$xml_file = file_get_contents('test.xml');

$xml = simplexml_load_string($xml_file);

echo '<pre>';
print_r($xml);
echo '</pre>';

And the output is good when I use the XML from your post:

SimpleXMLElement Object
(
    [@attributes] => Array
        (
            [xmlnwsa] => http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/08/addressing
            [xmlnwsen] => http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/09/enumeration
            [xmlnn1] => http://schemas.dell.com/wbem/wscim/1/cim-schema/2/DCIM_SystemView
            [xmlnxsi] => http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance
        )

And so on…
And so on…
And so on…

But that said, I can recreate your error exactly if I add a space or line to the beginning of the XML file like this; note the one simple space before <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>:

 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Envelope xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope" xmlnwsa="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/08/addressing" xmlnwsen="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/09/enumeration" xmlnn1="http://schemas.dell.com/wbem/wscim/1/cim-schema/2/DCIM_SystemView" xmlnxsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

And so on…
And so on…
And so on…

And here is my error:

Warning: simplexml_load_string(): Entity: line 1: parser error : XML declaration allowed only at the start of the document in /Applications/MAMP/htdocs/test.php on line 5

Warning: simplexml_load_string(): in /Applications/MAMP/htdocs/test.php on line 5

Warning: simplexml_load_string(): ^ in /Applications/MAMP/htdocs/test.php on line 5

So hey! I know your pain!

Anyway, the quick solution I tried is to use trim on the $xml_file to get rid of extraneous white space at the beginning & end of the of the file like this:

$xml_file = file_get_contents('test.xml');

$xml = simplexml_load_string(trim($xml_file));

echo '<pre>';
print_r($xml);
echo '</pre>';

And all works great!

edited Jun 20, 2020 at 9:12

CommunityBot

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answered Jun 8, 2014 at 4:17

Giacomo1968

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2 Comments

Ethan Over a year ago

Hi there Jake, I'm using simplexml_load_string. I would very much like to not have to use load_file, as I want to pull the information directly from the variable created when I run the query which returns the information...

Ethan Over a year ago

Dude, you are the bomb. I've been screwing with this thing for a few hours now and you got it in a few minutes. Thanks a ton. :)

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