XML Functions

The XML module provides functions for parsing, processing, and converting XML (eXtensible Markup Language) data.

Including the XML Module

To use the XML functions, include the module at the top of your mq script:

include "xml"

Functions

xml_parse(input)

Parses an XML string and returns the parsed data structure.

Parameters:

• input: String containing the XML data

Returns:

• Parsed data structure representing the XML element with the following structure:
  • tag: The element tag name
  • attributes: Dictionary of attributes
  • children: Array of child elements
  • text: Text content of the element (or None if empty)

Example:

include "xml"

# Parse simple XML element
| "<person name=\"John\" age=\"30\">Hello World</person>" | xml_parse()
# Returns: {"tag": "person", "attributes": {"name": "John", "age": "30"}, "children": [], "text": "Hello World"}

# Parse self-closing XML element
| "<input type=\"text\" name=\"username\"/>" | xml_parse()
# Returns: {"tag": "input", "attributes": {"type": "text", "name": "username"}, "children": [], "text": None}

# Parse nested XML
| "<book><title>The Great Gatsby</title><author>F. Scott Fitzgerald</author></book>" | xml_parse()
# Returns: {"tag": "book", "attributes": {}, "children": [{"tag": "title", "attributes": {}, "children": [], "text": "The Great Gatsby"}, {"tag": "author", "attributes": {}, "children": [], "text": "F. Scott Fitzgerald"}], "text": None}

# Parse XML with CDATA
| "<description><![CDATA[This is <b>bold</b> text]]></description>" | xml_parse()
# Returns: {"tag": "description", "attributes": {}, "children": [], "text": "This is <b>bold</b> text"}

# Parse XML with declaration
| "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\"?><root>Content</root>" | xml_parse()
# Returns: {"tag": "root", "attributes": {}, "children": [], "text": "Content"}

xml_stringify(data)

Converts a data structure to an XML string representation.

Parameters:

• data: XML data structure to convert (should have the structure returned by xml_parse)

Returns:

• String containing the formatted XML data

Example:

include "xml"

# Convert element to XML string
| {"tag": "person", "attributes": {"name": "John", "age": "30"}, "children": [], "text": "Hello World"} | xml_stringify()
# Returns: "<person name=\"John\" age=\"30\">Hello World</person>"

# Convert self-closing element to XML
| {"tag": "input", "attributes": {"type": "text", "name": "username"}, "children": [], "text": None} | xml_stringify()
# Returns: "<input type=\"text\" name=\"username\"/>"

# Convert nested structure to XML
| {"tag": "book", "attributes": {}, "children": [{"tag": "title", "attributes": {}, "children": [], "text": "The Great Gatsby"}], "text": None} | xml_stringify()
# Returns: "<book><title>The Great Gatsby</title></book>"

# Convert element with both text and children
| {"tag": "div", "attributes": {"class": "container"}, "children": [{"tag": "span", "attributes": {}, "children": [], "text": "Nested"}], "text": "Text content"} | xml_stringify()
# Returns: "<div class=\"container\">Text content<span>Nested</span></div>"

# Convert scalar values (non-XML data)
| "Plain text" | xml_stringify()
# Returns: "Plain text"

| 42 | xml_stringify()
# Returns: "42"

xml_to_markdown_table(data)

Converts an XML data structure to a Markdown table format.

Parameters:

• data: XML data structure to convert (should have the structure returned by xml_parse)

Returns:

• String containing the Markdown table representation

Example:

include "xml"

# Convert simple element to Markdown table
| {"tag": "person", "attributes": {"name": "John", "age": "30"}, "children": [], "text": "Hello World"} | xml_to_markdown_table()
# Returns:
# | Tag | Attributes | Text | Children |
# | --- | --- | --- | --- |
# | person | name=John, age=30 | Hello World | 0 |

# Convert element with children to Markdown table
| {"tag": "book", "attributes": {}, "children": [{"tag": "title", "attributes": {}, "children": [], "text": "The Great Gatsby"}, {"tag": "author", "attributes": {}, "children": [], "text": "F. Scott Fitzgerald"}], "text": None} | xml_to_markdown_table()
# Returns:
# | Index | Tag | Attributes | Text |
# | --- | --- | --- | --- |
# | 0 | title |  | The Great Gatsby |
# | 1 | author |  | F. Scott Fitzgerald |
#
# ## Children of title:
#
# | Tag | Attributes | Text | Children |
# | --- | --- | --- | --- |
# | title |  | The Great Gatsby | 0 |
#
# ## Children of author:
#
# | Tag | Attributes | Text | Children |
# | --- | --- | --- | --- |
# | author |  | F. Scott Fitzgerald | 0 |

# Convert scalar value to Markdown table
| "Plain text" | xml_to_markdown_table()
# Returns:
# | Value |
# | --- |
# | Plain text |

Data Structure

The XML parser creates data structures with the following format:

• tag: String containing the XML element tag name
• attributes: Dictionary containing attribute name-value pairs
• children: Array of child elements (each following the same structure)
• text: String containing the text content, or None if empty

Features

• XML Declaration Support: Automatically handles <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> declarations
• Self-closing Tags: Properly parses elements like <input type="text"/>
• CDATA Support: Handles <![CDATA[...]]> sections correctly
• Comment Removal: Automatically strips XML comments during parsing
• Nested Elements: Full support for deeply nested XML structures
• Attribute Parsing: Handles both single and double-quoted attribute values
• Text Content: Preserves text content while handling mixed content scenarios

Type Conversion

The XML parser preserves the original string values from the XML:

• Attributes: All attribute values are treated as strings
• Text Content: Text content is preserved as strings
• Element Structure: Elements are represented as dictionaries with the standard structure