10 Practical Examples Using PHP XMLMaker for Data ExportExporting data to XML is a common need in web development, integrations, and data interchange. PHP XMLMaker (a hypothetical or real library/tool—conceptually similar to helpers like SimpleXML or XMLWriter) helps you generate structured, well-formed XML quickly and reliably. This article provides 10 practical examples that show common data-export scenarios, patterns, and tips to produce maintainable XML output for integrations, APIs, feeds, and backups.
Table of contents
- Basic XML document generation
- Exporting an associative array to XML
- Exporting nested arrays (hierarchical data / categories)
- Exporting database result sets (MySQL)
- Streaming large datasets to XML (memory-efficient)
- Generating XML with attributes and namespaces
- Exporting CSV to XML using XMLMaker
- Creating an RSS feed from site posts
- Creating SOAP-like request XML for third-party APIs
- Validating and formatting XML output (pretty-print & encoding)
1 — Basic XML document generation
This first example shows how to initialize XMLMaker, set the root element, add a few child nodes, and output the XML as a string or file.
Example (conceptual):
<?php require 'vendor/autoload.php'; // if using composer $xml = new XMLMaker('utf-8'); // initialize with encoding $xml->startDocument('1.0', 'utf-8'); // optional $xml->setRoot('products'); $xml->addChild('product', [ 'id' => 1, 'name' => 'Blue T-Shirt', 'price' => '19.99' ]); $xmlString = $xml->toString(); file_put_contents('products.xml', $xmlString); Notes:
- Use proper escaping for content.
- Choose UTF-8 to maximize compatibility.
2 — Exporting an associative array to XML
When you have configuration data or API responses as an associative array, converting it directly simplifies export workflows.
Pattern:
- Walk the array recursively.
- Convert scalar values to text nodes; arrays become nested elements.
Example:
<?php $data = [ 'site' => [ 'name' => 'My Store', 'url' => 'https://example.com', 'settings' => [ 'currency' => 'USD', 'timezone' => 'UTC' ] ] ]; $xml = new XMLMaker(); $xml->setRoot('export'); $xml->fromArray($data); // hypothetical helper that handles recursion file_put_contents('export.xml', $xml->toString()); Tip: normalize keys (no spaces/special characters) before conversion.
3 — Exporting nested arrays (hierarchical data / categories)
For category trees, menus, or other nested structures, preserve parent-child relationships by nesting elements and including IDs or slugs.
Example:
<?php function addCategoryNode($xml, $nodeName, $category) { $node = $xml->addChild($nodeName, ['id' => $category['id'], 'slug' => $category['slug']]); $node->addChild('title', $category['title']); if (!empty($category['children'])) { foreach ($category['children'] as $child) { addCategoryNode($xml, 'category', $child); } } } $xml = new XMLMaker(); $xml->setRoot('categories'); foreach ($categories as $cat) { addCategoryNode($xml, 'category', $cat); } Include both id and parent_id where consumers need to rebuild trees without nesting.
4 — Exporting database result sets (MySQL)
Exporting SQL query results to XML is common for data migrations, reporting, and feeds.
Example:
<?php $pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=test', 'user', 'pass'); $stmt = $pdo->query('SELECT id, name, email, created_at FROM users'); $xml = new XMLMaker(); $xml->setRoot('users'); while ($row = $stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC)) { $user = $xml->addChild('user', ['id' => $row['id']]); $user->addChild('name', $row['name']); $user->addChild('email', $row['email']); $user->addChild('created_at', $row['created_at']); } file_put_contents('users.xml', $xml->toString()); Consider converting dates to ISO 8601 and excluding sensitive fields.
5 — Streaming large datasets to XML (memory-efficient)
For large exports, build XML incrementally and stream to the client or a file instead of storing the whole document in memory.
Pattern:
- Use XMLWriter or XMLMaker’s streaming API.
- Flush chunks periodically.
Example:
<?php $writer = new XMLWriter(); $writer->openURI('php://output'); // or a file path $writer->startDocument('1.0', 'UTF-8'); $writer->startElement('orders'); $sth = $pdo->query('SELECT * FROM orders'); while ($row = $sth->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC)) { $writer->startElement('order'); foreach ($row as $k => $v) { $writer->writeElement($k, $v); } $writer->endElement(); // order // flush happens automatically for php://output; for files, ensure buffers are manageable } $writer->endElement(); // orders $writer->endDocument(); Serve with appropriate headers for downloads and avoid timeouts with set_time_limit().
6 — Generating XML with attributes and namespaces
Many XML consumers expect attributes and namespaces (e.g., SOAP, RSS, Atom). Use XMLMaker features to add attributes and register namespaces.
Example:
<?php $xml = new XMLMaker(); $xml->setRoot('feed', ['xmlns' => 'http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom']); $entry = $xml->addChild('entry'); $entry->addChild('title', 'Post title'); $entry->addChild('link', null, ['href' => 'https://example.com/post/1']); // attribute on element Be explicit about namespace prefixes if the consumer requires them.
7 — Exporting CSV to XML using XMLMaker
Convert CSV rows into XML elements—useful for migrating spreadsheets or exports from legacy systems.
Example:
<?php if (($handle = fopen('data.csv', 'r')) !== false) { $headers = fgetcsv($handle); $xml = new XMLMaker(); $xml->setRoot('items'); while (($row = fgetcsv($handle)) !== false) { $item = $xml->addChild('item'); foreach ($headers as $i => $header) { $item->addChild($header, $row[$i]); } } fclose($handle); file_put_contents('data.xml', $xml->toString()); } Sanitize headers into valid tag names (lowercase, underscores).
8 — Creating an RSS feed from site posts
Generating RSS requires specific element names and date formats. Example creates a minimal RSS 2.0 feed.
Example:
<?php $xml = new XMLMaker(); $xml->setRoot('rss', ['version' => '2.0']); $channel = $xml->addChild('channel'); $channel->addChild('title', 'My Blog'); $channel->addChild('link', 'https://example.com'); $channel->addChild('description', 'Latest posts'); foreach ($posts as $post) { $item = $channel->addChild('item'); $item->addChild('title', $post['title']); $item->addChild('link', $post['url']); $item->addChild('description', $post['summary']); $item->addChild('pubDate', date(DATE_RSS, strtotime($post['published_at']))); $item->addChild('guid', $post['url'], ['isPermaLink' => 'true']); } header('Content-Type: application/rss+xml; charset=utf-8'); echo $xml->toString(); Test in feed readers and validate with online RSS validators.
9 — Creating SOAP-like request XML for third-party APIs
When integrating with legacy SOAP or XML-based APIs, build precise request XML, respecting required namespaces and envelope structure.
Example:
<?php $xml = new XMLMaker(); $xml->setRoot('soapenv:Envelope', ['xmlns:soapenv' => 'http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/', 'xmlns:ns' => 'http://example.com/api']); $body = $xml->addChild('soapenv:Body'); $req = $body->addChild('ns:DoAction'); $req->addChild('ns:Param1', 'value1'); $req->addChild('ns:Param2', 'value2'); $requestXml = $xml->toString(); $response = sendHttpPost('https://api.example.com/soap', $requestXml, ['Content-Type: text/xml']); Include proper SOAPAction headers if required.
10 — Validating and formatting XML output (pretty-print & encoding)
Validation ensures consumers can parse XML. Use libxml or DOMDocument to validate and format output.
Example:
<?php $dom = new DOMDocument('1.0', 'UTF-8'); $dom->preserveWhiteSpace = false; $dom->formatOutput = true; $dom->loadXML($xmlString); if ($dom->schemaValidate('schema.xsd')) { echo $dom->saveXML(); } else { // handle validation errors } Always output UTF-8 and consider adding an XML declaration.
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Further tips
- Escape special characters and CDATA for untrusted text.
- Prefer ISO 8601 dates for interoperability.
- Provide schema (XSD) or sample XML to consumers so they can validate.
- For APIs, support both JSON and XML if possible to widen compatibility.
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