How to convert an array to SimpleXML in PHP?

In PHP, you can convert an array to SimpleXML using the array_walk_recursive() function combined with the SimpleXMLElement class. This approach transforms array keys into XML element names and array values into the element content.

Note: If you encounter "Class 'SimpleXMLElement' not found" error, install the required packages:

sudo apt-get install php-xml php-simplexml (Ubuntu/Debian)
yum install php-xml (CentOS/RHEL)

Basic Array to XML Conversion

Here's how to convert a simple array structure to XML using array_walk_recursive() ?

<?php
$array = array(
    'name' => 'alex',
    'empdept' => 'account',
    'address' => array(
        'city' => 'michigan'
    ),
);

// Create XML object with root element
$xml = new SimpleXMLElement('<root/>');
array_walk_recursive($array, array($xml, 'addChild'));
echo $xml->asXML();
?>

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<root>
<name>alex</name>
<empdept>account</empdept>
<city>michigan</city>
</root>

Advanced Method with Custom Function

For better control over the XML structure, you can create a custom function ?

<?php
function arrayToXml($array, $xmlElement) {
    foreach($array as $key => $value) {
        if(is_array($value)) {
            if(!is_numeric($key)){
                $subnode = $xmlElement->addChild("$key");
                arrayToXml($value, $subnode);
            } else {
                arrayToXml($value, $xmlElement);
            }
        } else {
            $xmlElement->addChild("$key", htmlspecialchars("$value"));
        }
    }
}

$array = array(
    'employee' => array(
        'name' => 'John Doe',
        'position' => 'Developer',
        'salary' => '50000'
    )
);

$xml = new SimpleXMLElement('<company/>');
arrayToXml($array, $xml);
echo $xml->asXML();
?>

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<company>
<employee>
<name>John Doe</name>
<position>Developer</position>
<salary>50000</salary>
</employee>
</company>

Key Differences

Conclusion

Use array_walk_recursive() for simple conversions, but implement a custom recursive function when you need to preserve the array's hierarchical structure in the resulting XML.