PHP DOM XML Creation

Question

I am currently working on Shopify webhooks which posts XML to the Colorado timber line API. But due to the order protocol of the Colorado timber line API, it is required to modify the XML posted by Shopify webhook to be restuctured.

Here's how I did the restucturing:

$doc = new DOMDocument; 
$doc->load('timber.xml');
$thedocument = $doc->documentElement;
//this gives you a list of elements by tag name
$order_number = $thedocument->getElementsByTagName('order-number')->item(0);
$order_number_val = $order_number->textContent;
$shipping_address = $thedocument->getElementsByTagName('shipping-address')->item(0);
$shipping_address = $shipping_address->lastChild;
$shipping_address = $shipping_address->previousSibling;
$shipping_address = $shipping_address->previousSibling;
$shipping_address_val = $shipping_address->textContent;
$address1 = $thedocument->getElementsByTagName('shipping-address')->item(0);
$address1 = $address1->firstChild;
$address1_val = $address1->textContent;
$address2 = $address1->nextSibling;
$address2_val = $address2->textContent;
$city = $address2->nextSibling;
$city_val = $city->textContent;
$country = $city->nextSibling;
$country = $country->nextSibling;
$country_val = $country->textContent;
$province = $shipping_address->previousSibling;
$province = $province->previousSibling;
$province_val = $province->textContent;
$zip = $province->nextSibling;
$zip_val = $zip->textContent;
$email = $thedocument->getElementsByTagName('customer')->item(0);
$email = $email->firstChild;
$email = $email->nextSibling;
$email = $email->nextSibling;
$email_val = $email->textContent;
$phone = $province->previousSibling;
$phone_val = $phone->textContent;
$note = $email->nextSibling;
$note = $note->nextSibling;
$note = $note->nextSibling;
$note = $note->nextSibling;
$note = $note->nextSibling;
$note = $note->nextSibling;
$note_val = $note->textContent;
$fulfillment_service = $thedocument->getElementsByTagName('line-items')->item(0);
$fulfillment_service = $fulfillment_service->firstChild;
$fulfillment_service = $fulfillment_service->firstChild;
$fulfillment_service_val = $fulfillment_service->textContent;
$created_at = $thedocument->getElementsByTagName('created-at')->item(0);
$created_at_val = $created_at->textContent;
 /* create a dom document with encoding utf8 */
 $domtree = new DOMDocument('1.0', 'UTF-8');
 /* create the root element of the xml tree */
 $Order = $domtree->createElement("Order");
 $Order->setAttribute("OrderID",$order_number_val);
 $Order->setAttribute("AffiliateID","CT_0027393");
 /* append it to the document created */
 $Order = $domtree->appendChild($Order);
 /* append children to the root element of the document */
 $ShipToName = $domtree->createElement("ShipToName",$shipping_address_val);
 $ShipToName = $Order->appendChild($ShipToName);
 $ShipToContact = $domtree->createElement("ShipToContact",$shipping_address_val);
 $ShipToContact = $Order->appendChild($ShipToContact);
 $ShipToName2 = $domtree->createElement("ShipToName2");
 $ShipToName2 = $Order->appendChild($ShipToName2);
 $AddressLine1 = $domtree->createElement("AddressLine1",$address1_val);
 $AddressLine1 = $Order->appendChild($AddressLine1);
 $AddressLine2 = $domtree->createElement("AddressLine2",$address2_val);
 $AddressLine2->setAttribute("nil","true");
 $AddressLine2 = $Order->appendChild($AddressLine2);
 $AddressLine3 = $domtree->createElement("AddressLine3");
 $AddressLine3 = $Order->appendChild($AddressLine3);
 $City = $domtree->createElement("City", $city_val);
 $City = $Order->appendChild($City);
 $Country = $domtree->createElement("Country", $country_val);
 $Country = $Order->appendChild($Country);
 $State = $domtree->createElement("State", $province_val);
 $State = $Order->appendChild($State);
 $Province = $domtree->createElement("Province", $province_val);
 $Province = $Order->appendChild($Province);
 $Zip = $domtree->createElement("Zip", $zip_val);
 $Zip = $Order->appendChild($Zip);
 $Email = $domtree->createElement("Email", $email_val);
 $Email = $Order->appendChild($Email);
 $Phone = $domtree->createElement("Phone", $phone_val);
 $Phone = $Order->appendChild($Phone);
 $SpecialInstructions = $domtree->createElement("SpecialInstructions", $note_val);
 $SpecialInstructions->setAttribute("nil","true");
 $SpecialInstructions = $Order->appendChild($SpecialInstructions);
 $SpecialInstructions2 = $domtree->createElement("SpecialInstructions2");
 $SpecialInstructions2 = $Order->appendChild($SpecialInstructions2);
 $RequestedDeliveryDate = $domtree->createElement("RequestedDeliveryDate");
 $RequestedDeliveryDate = $Order->appendChild($RequestedDeliveryDate);
 $ShipMethod = $domtree->createElement("ShipMethod", $fulfillment_service_val);
 $ShipMethod = $Order->appendChild($ShipMethod);
 $PackingListInformation = $domtree->createElement("PackingListInformation");
 $PackingListInformation = $Order->appendChild($PackingListInformation);
 $Logo = $domtree->createElement("Logo");
 $Logo->setAttribute("URL","https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0668/2591/t/1/assets/logo.png?2387");
 $Logo = $PackingListInformation->appendChild($Logo);
 $Message1 = $domtree->createElement("Message1","Thanks for your order!");
 $Message2 = $domtree->createElement("Message2","Refer your friends for a discount!");
 $Message3 = $domtree->createElement("Message3");
 $Message1 = $PackingListInformation->appendChild($Message1);
 $Message2 = $PackingListInformation->appendChild($Message2);
 $Message3 = $PackingListInformation->appendChild($Message3);
 $OrderDate = $domtree->createElement("OrderDate", $created_at_val);
 $OrderDate = $PackingListInformation->appendChild($OrderDate);
 $SoldToName = $domtree->createElement("SoldToName",$shipping_address_val);
 $SoldToName = $PackingListInformation->appendChild($SoldToName);
 $SoldToAddressLine1 = $domtree->createElement("SoldToAddressLine1", $address1_val);
 $SoldToAddressLine2 = $domtree->createElement("SoldToAddressLine2", $address2_val);
 $SoldToAddressLine2->setAttribute("nil","true");
 $SoldToAddressLine3 = $domtree->createElement("SoldToAddressLine3");
 $SoldToCity = $domtree->createElement("SoldToCity", $city_val);
 $SoldToCountry = $domtree->createElement("SoldToCountry", $country_val);
 $SoldToState = $domtree->createElement("SoldToState", $province_val);
 $SoldToProvince = $domtree->createElement("SoldToProvince", $province_val);
 $SoldToZip = $domtree->createElement("SoldToZip", $zip_val);
 $SoldToAddressLine1 = $PackingListInformation->appendChild($SoldToAddressLine1);
 $SoldToAddressLine2 = $PackingListInformation->appendChild($SoldToAddressLine2);
 $SoldToAddressLine3 = $PackingListInformation->appendChild($SoldToAddressLine3);
 $SoldToCity = $PackingListInformation->appendChild($SoldToCity);
 $SoldToCountry = $PackingListInformation->appendChild($SoldToCountry);
 $SoldToState = $PackingListInformation->appendChild($SoldToState);
 $SoldToProvince = $PackingListInformation->appendChild($SoldToProvince);
 $SoldToZip = $PackingListInformation->appendChild($SoldToZip);
 $line_items = $thedocument->getElementsByTagName('line-item');
 $len = $line_items->length;
 //die(0);
 $line_item = array();
 $Imagesetimage =array();
 for ($i=0; $i<$len; $i++) {
 $line_item[$i] = $thedocument->getElementsByTagName('line-item')->item($i);
 $Imagesetimage[$i] = $thedocument->getElementsByTagName('value')->item($i);
 $line_item[$i] = $line_item[$i]->firstChild;
 $line_item[$i] = $line_item[$i]->nextSibling;
 $line_item[$i] = $line_item[$i]->nextSibling;
 $line_item[$i] = $line_item[$i]->nextSibling;
 $line_item[$i] = $line_item[$i]->nextSibling;
 $line_item[$i] = $line_item[$i]->nextSibling;
 $line_item[$i] = $line_item[$i]->nextSibling;
 $line_item[$i] = $line_item[$i]->nextSibling;
 $Quantity = $line_item[$i]->textContent;
 $ItemID = $line_item[$i]->previousSibling;
 $ItemID = $ItemID->textContent;
 $sku = $line_item[$i]->nextSibling;
 $sku = $sku->nextSibling;
 $sku_val = $sku->textContent;
 $Imagesetimage_val = $Imagesetimage[$i]->textContent;
 $Merchandise = $domtree->createElement("Merchandise");
 $Merchandise->setAttribute("Quantity",$Quantity);
 $Merchandise->setAttribute("ItemID",$ItemID);
 $Merchandise = $Order->appendChild($Merchandise);
 $PartNumber = $domtree->createElement("PartNumber",$sku_val);
 $PartNumber = $Merchandise->appendChild($PartNumber);
 $Printmode = $domtree->createElement("Printmode","dark");
 $Printmode = $Merchandise->appendChild($Printmode);
 $ImageSet = $domtree->createElement("ImageSet");
 $ImageSet = $Merchandise->appendChild($ImageSet);
 $Image = $domtree->createElement("Image");
 $Image->setAttribute("URL",$Imagesetimage_val);
 $Image = $ImageSet->appendChild($Image);
 $PackageListOverride = $domtree->createElement("PackageListOverride");
 $PackageListOverride = $Merchandise->appendChild($PackageListOverride); 
 $ItemName = $domtree->createElement("ItemName");
 $ItemDescription = $domtree->createElement("ItemDescription");
 $ItemName = $PackageListOverride->appendChild($ItemName); 
 $ItemDescription = $PackageListOverride->appendChild($ItemDescription); 
 }
 /* get the xml printed */
 echo $domtree->save('xmlcreated.xml');

As you can see the code looks pretty ugly and I'm pretty sure shouldn't be such huge. I'm trying to modify the code to be pretty. I'm kind of new when it comes to write good code. Any Ideas on how I should be moving forward?

• 200_success: Transforming XML into XML is a problem for which XSLT was designed. Have you considered using that instead?
• Amit Singh: @200_success: I haven't yet, but sure will. Would that help me to lessen the number of lines of the code?
• 200_success: XSLT would be more readable, I think.
• 200_success: That's what I meant — your code would be more readable. The result would be the same.
• ferada: Or at least use XPath to navigate.

Answer 1

Or you could use the XML class from this repository, along with Xpath selectors, and the code would be something like:

<?php
$f = file_get_contents("timber.xml");
$xml = new Xms\Core\Xml($f);
$order_number_val = $xml("//order-number")->text();
$xml("//shipping-address")->children("*[last()]")->to($shipping_address);
...