XML PARSE Help

[cworthi]

Hi,

I'm using the COBOL XML PARSER (XML PARSE stmt) for the first time and attempting to parse a document that has the same element tag <RqUID> in multiple places throughout the XML doc. For example...

<BankSvcRq>
<RqUID>123-456-789</RqUID>
<AcctInqRq>
<RqUID>454-123-987</RqUID>
</AcctInqRq>
</BankSvcRq>

Is there some mechanism/feature of the XML PARSER that will allow me to differentiate between the two occurences of RqUID? For example I would like to know that I'm dealing with <RqUID> of the <BankSvcRq> aggregate versus <RqUID> that forms part of the <AcctInqRq>. Or, will I have to manage this situation using good old COBOL logic?

Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks, Chris.

 

[yuriyking]

Hi cworthi,
AFAIK the COBOL XML Parser is a SAX Parser.
So you have "just" to implement an event handler for the SAX Parser - the section or paragraph specified in PROCESSING PROCEDURE of XML PARSE.
IMHO the easiest way to do it is implement it as a state machine.

 

[MarcLodge]

Chris,
If the tag can exist under one or more parent tags, then you are going to have to do this manually yourself. There is no way (that I know of) that the PARSE statement can differentiate between the parents. What you will need to do is set a flag when the parents are recognised and then process the child element appropriately. Something similar to this might do

WHEN 'START-OF-ELEMENT'                                    
  MOVE XML-TEXT                TO XML-CURRENT-ELEMENT      
WHEN 'CONTENT-CHARACTERS'                                  
  EVALUATE XML-CURRENT-ELEMENT                             
    WHEN 'BankSvcRq'                                
      SET START-BANKSVC TO TRUE                            
    WHEN 'AcctInqRq'                                
      SET START-ACCTINQ TO TRUE                            
    WHEN 'RqUID'                                
       IF START-ACCTINQ
          DISPLAY 'RqUID found in AcctInqRq ' XML-TEXT
       ELSE
          IF START-BANKSVQ
             DISPLAY 'RqUID found in BankSvcRq' XML-TEXT
          ELSE
             DISPLAY 'RqUID found ' XML-TEXT
          END-IF
       END-IF
    WHEN 'END-OF-ELEMENT'              
       IF XML-TEXT = 'AcctInqRq'
          SET END-ACCTINQ TO TRUE
       END-IF
       IF XML-TEXT = 'BankSvcRq'
          SET END-BANKSVQ TO TRUE
       END-IF

The code above is obviosuly untested but should give you an idea of the way to go.

Hope this helps.

Marc

 

[cworthi]

Thanks...I appreciate the suggestions/example. I'm deep enough into the coding of this program that it probably makes more sense for me to just add the extra logic using COBOL.

Regards, Chris.