How to create Python objects based on an XML file?

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a markup language used to structure, store, and transfer data between systems. Python developers often need to read and process XML data in their applications.

The untangle library provides a simple way to create Python objects based on an XML file. This small Python library converts an XML document into a Python object with an intuitive API.

Syntax

untangle.parse(filename, **parser_features)

Parameters

• filename: Can be an XML string, XML filename, or URL

• parser_features: Extra arguments passed to parser.setFeature()

Return Value

Returns a Python object representing the parsed XML document.

Installation

Install the untangle library using pip or conda:

Using pip:

pip install untangle

Using conda:

conda install -c conda-forge untangle

Example 1: Parsing XML String

Let's parse an XML string and create Python objects ?

import untangle

xml = """<main>
<object1 attr="name">content</object1>
<object1 attr="foo">contenbar</object1>
<test>me</test>
</main>"""

doc = untangle.parse(xml)
obj1 = doc.main.object1
print("Object1 elements:")
print(obj1)
print('-' * 20)
obj2 = doc.main.test
print("Test element:")
print(obj2)

Object1 elements:
[Element(name = object1, attributes = {'attr': 'name'}, cdata = content), Element(name = object1, attributes = {'attr': 'foo'}, cdata = contenbar)]
--------------------
Test element:
Element <test> with attributes {}, children [] and cdata me

Example 2: Parsing XML File

For this example, assume we have an XML file with the following content ?

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<root>
    <child name="child1"/>
</root>

import untangle

# Note: This example shows the concept
# In practice, replace with actual file path
xml_content = """<?xml version="1.0"?>
<root>
    <child name="child1"/>
</root>"""

obj = untangle.parse(xml_content)
child_name = obj.root.child['name']
print("Child name attribute:", child_name)

Child name attribute: child1

Example 3: Real-World RSS Feed

Let's parse an RSS feed to extract post titles and URLs ?

import untangle

# Parse RSS feed from URL
xml_url = "https://planetpython.org/rss20.xml"
obj = untangle.parse(xml_url)

# Extract first 3 items for demonstration
for i, item in enumerate(obj.rss.channel.item[:3]):
    title = item.title.cdata
    link = item.link.cdata
    print(f"{i+1}. {title}")
    print(f"   {link}")
    print()

Note: The above example requires internet connection to fetch the RSS feed.

Key Features

Conclusion

The untangle library provides a simple and intuitive way to convert XML data into Python objects. It supports parsing from strings, files, and URLs, making it versatile for various XML processing tasks.