# xmerl

### MODULE

xmerl

### MODULE SUMMARY

Functions for exporting XML data to an external format.

### DESCRIPTION

Functions for exporting XML data to an external format.

### EXPORTS

`callbacks(M::atom()) -> [atom()]`

Find the list of inherited callback modules for a given module.

`export(Data::Content, Callback) -> ExportedFormat`

Equivalent to export(Data, Callback, []).

`export(Data::Content, Callback, RootAttrs::RootAttributes) -> ExportedFormat`

Types:

`Content = [Element]`
`Callback = atom()`
`RootAttributes = [XmlAttributes]`

Exports normal, well-formed XML content, using the specified callback-module.

`Element` is any of:

- `#xmlText{}`
- `#xmlElement{}`
- `#xmlPI{}`
- `#xmlComment{}`
- `#xmlDecl{}`

(See `xmerl.hrl` for the record definitions.) Text in `#xmlText{}` elements can be deep lists of characters and/or binaries.

`RootAttributes` is a list of `#xmlAttribute{}` attributes for the `#root#` element, which implicitly becomes the parent of the given `Content`. The tag-handler function for `#root#` is thus called with the complete exported data of `Content`. Root attributes can be used to specify e.g. encoding or other metadata of an XML or HTML document.

The `Callback` module should contain hook functions for all tags present in the data structure. A hook function must have the following format:

        Tag(Data, Attributes, Parents, E)

where `E` is the corresponding `#xmlElement{}`, `Data` is the already-exported contents of `E` and `Attributes` is the list of `#xmlAttribute{}` records of `E`. Finally, `Parents` is the list of parent nodes of `E`, on the form `[{ParentTag::atom(), ParentPosition::integer()}]`.

The hook function should return either the data to be exported, or a tuple `{'#xml-alias#', NewTag::atom()}`, or a tuple `{'#xml-redefine#', Content}`, where `Content` is a content list (which can be on simple-form; see `export_simple/2` for details).

A callback module can inherit definitions from other callback modules, through the required function `'#xml-interitance#() -> [ModuleName::atom()]`.

See also: export/2, export_simple/3.

`export_content(Es::Content, CBs::Callbacks) -> term()`

Types:

`Content = [Element]`
`Callback = [atom()]`

Exports normal XML content directly, without further context.

`export_element(E, CB) -> term()`

Exports a normal XML element directly, without further context.

`export_element(E, CB::CBs, CBstate::UserState) -> ExportedFormat`

For on-the-fly exporting during parsing (SAX style) of the XML document.

`export_simple(Data::Content, Callback) -> ExportedFormat`

Equivalent to export_simple(Data, Callback, []).

`export_simple(Data::Content, Callback, RootAttrs::RootAttributes) -> ExportedFormat`

Types:

`Content = [Element]`
`Callback = atom()`
`RootAttributes = [XmlAttributes]`

Exports "simple-form" XML content, using the specified callback-module.

`Element` is any of:

- `{Tag, Attributes, Content}`
- `{Tag, Content}`
- `Tag`
- `IOString`
- `#xmlText{}`
- `#xmlElement{}`
- `#xmlPI{}`
- `#xmlComment{}`
- `#xmlDecl{}`

where

- `Tag = atom()`
- `Attributes = [{Name, Value}]`
- `Name = atom()`
- `Value = IOString | atom() | integer()`

Normal-form XML elements can thus be included in the simple-form representation. Note that content lists must be flat. An `IOString` is a (possibly deep) list of characters and/or binaries.

`RootAttributes` is a list of:

- `XmlAttributes = #xmlAttribute{}`

See `export/3` for details on the callback module and the root attributes. The XML-data is always converted to normal form before being passed to the callback module.

See also: export/3, export_simple/2.

`export_simple_content(Data, Callback) -> term()`

Exports simple XML content directly, without further context.

`export_simple_element(Data, Callback) -> term()`

Exports a simple XML element directly, without further context.

### AUTHORS

- support@erlang.ericsson.se

xmerl 1.0.5
Copyright © 1991-2006 Ericsson AB