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XMLSerializer object

Browser support:

9

Provides methods to convert a document or a subtree of a document into text or a byte stream.

Note: The XMLSerializer object is supported in Internet Explorer from version 9.

Syntax:

Methods that return the object:

•	new XMLSerializer ( )

Possible members:

Methods:

serializeToStream (node, stream, charset)

Returns the contents of the document or a node in the document as a byte stream.

Parameters:

node

Required. Reference to an XML or HTML document or a node in the document to serialize.

stream

Required. Reference to a byte stream object.

charset

Required. String that specifies the character set of the byte stream.

Return value:

This method has no return value.

serializeToString (node)

Returns the contents of the document or a node in the document as a string.

Although the serializeToString method is supported but not implemented in Internet Explorer from version 9, using it raises an exception. See the example below for details.

Parameters:

node

Required. Reference to an XML or HTML document or a node in the document to serialize.

Return value:

Returns a string that represents the contents of the document or a node in the document.

Example HTML code 1:

This example illustrates the use of the serializeToString method for a node in a HTML document:

<head>
    <script type="text/javascript">
        function GetContent () {
            if (window.XMLSerializer) {
                var serializer = new XMLSerializer ();
                var str = serializer.serializeToString (document.body);
                alert (str);
            }
            else {
                alert (document.body.outerHTML);
            }
        }
    </script>
</head>
<body>
    <button onclick="GetContent ();">Get the contents of the body</button>
</body>

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Example HTML code 2:

This example illustrates the use of the serializeToString method for XML documents:

Code

ajax.js

news.xml

<head>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="ajax.js"></script>
    
    <script type="text/javascript">
        var httpRequest = null;
        
        function SendRequest () {
            if (!httpRequest) {
                httpRequest = CreateHTTPRequestObject ();   // defined in ajax.js
            }
            if (httpRequest) {          
                    // The requested file must be in the same domain that the page is served from.
                var url = "news.xml";
                httpRequest.open ("GET", url, true);    // async
                httpRequest.onreadystatechange = OnStateChange;
                httpRequest.send (null);
            }
        }

        function OnStateChange () {
            if (httpRequest.readyState == 0 || httpRequest.readyState == 4) {
                if (IsRequestSuccessful (httpRequest)) {    // defined in ajax.js
                    DisplayContent ();
                }
                else {
                    alert ("Operation failed.");
                }
            }
        }


        function DisplayContent () {
            var xmlDoc = ParseHTTPResponse (httpRequest);   // defined in ajax.js
            if (!xmlDoc)
                return;

            if (window.XMLSerializer) { // all browsers, except IE before version 9
                var serializer = new XMLSerializer();
                    // the serializeToString method raises an exception in IE9
                try {
                    var str = serializer.serializeToString (xmlDoc.documentElement);
                    alert (str);
                    return;
                }
                catch (e) {
                }
            }

            if ('xml' in xmlDoc) {  // Internet Explorer
                alert (xmlDoc.xml);
                return;
            }

            alert("Cannot display the contents of the XML document as a string.");
        }
    </script>
</head>
<body>
    <button onclick="SendRequest ()">Display XML file content</button>
</body>


function CreateHTTPRequestObject () {
        // although IE supports the XMLHttpRequest object, but it does not work on local files.
    var forceActiveX = (window.ActiveXObject && location.protocol === "file:");
    if (window.XMLHttpRequest && !forceActiveX) {
        return new XMLHttpRequest();
    }
    else {
        try {
            return new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
        } catch(e) {}
    }
    alert ("Your browser doesn't support XML handling!");
    return null;
}

function CreateMSXMLDocumentObject () {
    if (typeof (ActiveXObject) != "undefined") {
        var progIDs = [
                        "Msxml2.DOMDocument.6.0", 
                        "Msxml2.DOMDocument.5.0", 
                        "Msxml2.DOMDocument.4.0", 
                        "Msxml2.DOMDocument.3.0", 
                        "MSXML2.DOMDocument", 
                        "MSXML.DOMDocument"
                      ];
        for (var i = 0; i < progIDs.length; i++) {
            try { 
                return new ActiveXObject(progIDs[i]); 
            } catch(e) {};
        }
    }
    return null;
}

function CreateXMLDocumentObject (rootName) {
    if (!rootName) {
        rootName = "";
    }
    var xmlDoc = CreateMSXMLDocumentObject ();
    if (xmlDoc) {
        if (rootName) {
            var rootNode = xmlDoc.createElement (rootName);
            xmlDoc.appendChild (rootNode);
        }
    }
    else {
        if (document.implementation.createDocument) {
            xmlDoc = document.implementation.createDocument ("", rootName, null);
        }
    }
    
    return xmlDoc;
}

function ParseHTTPResponse (httpRequest) {
    var xmlDoc = httpRequest.responseXML;

            // if responseXML is not valid, try to create the XML document from the responseText property
    if (!xmlDoc || !xmlDoc.documentElement) {
        if (window.DOMParser) {
            var parser = new DOMParser();
            try {
                xmlDoc = parser.parseFromString (httpRequest.responseText, "text/xml");
            } catch (e) {
                alert ("XML parsing error");
                return null;
            };
        }
        else {
            xmlDoc = CreateMSXMLDocumentObject ();
            if (!xmlDoc) {
                return null;
            }
            xmlDoc.loadXML (httpRequest.responseText);

        }
    }

            // if there was an error while parsing the XML document
    var errorMsg = null;
    if (xmlDoc.parseError && xmlDoc.parseError.errorCode != 0) {
        errorMsg = "XML Parsing Error: " + xmlDoc.parseError.reason
                  + " at line " + xmlDoc.parseError.line
                  + " at position " + xmlDoc.parseError.linepos;
    }
    else {
        if (xmlDoc.documentElement) {
            if (xmlDoc.documentElement.nodeName == "parsererror") {
                errorMsg = xmlDoc.documentElement.childNodes[0].nodeValue;
            }
        }
    }
    if (errorMsg) {
        alert (errorMsg);
        return null;
    }

        // ok, the XML document is valid
    return xmlDoc;
}

    // returns whether the HTTP request was successful
function IsRequestSuccessful (httpRequest) {
        // IE: sometimes 1223 instead of 204
    var success = (httpRequest.status == 0 || 
        (httpRequest.status >= 200 && httpRequest.status < 300) || 
        httpRequest.status == 304 || httpRequest.status == 1223);
    
    return success;
}

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<news>
    <channel>
        <item>
            <title>Paula Abdul leaves American Idol</title>
            <description>Paula Abdul has officially confirmed that she won’t be returning to American Idol this season. "With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to Idol," she wrote on her Twitter page.</description>
            <pubDate>Wed, August 5, 2009 19:52:31 +0200</pubDate>
            <link>http://www.tribute.ca/news/index.php/its-official-paula-abdul-leaves-american-idol/2009/08/05/</link>
        </item>

        <item>
            <title>Criminal Minds star Moore hit by car</title>
            <description>Shemar Moore, 39, who plays FBI Agent Derek Morgan in the CBS drama Criminal Minds, was hit by a car while bicycling in Los Angeles last Saturday.</description>
            <pubDate>Thu, August 4, 2009 13:28:12 +0200</pubDate>
            <link>http://www.tribute.ca/news/index.php/criminal-minds-star-moore-hit-by-car/2009/08/04/</link>
        </item>

        <item>
            <title>Madonna writes love song for ex-husband</title>
            <description>Madonna has sparked speculation that she wants to get back with her ex-husband, Guy Ritchie, after writing a love song for him in which she calls him her "eternal love".</description>
            <pubDate>Fri, July 31, 2009 04:01:50 +0200</pubDate>
            <link>http://www.tribute.ca/news/index.php/madonna-writes-love-song-for-ex-husband/2009/07/31/</link>
        </item>
    </channel>
</news>