XML

Turn an XML document (a feed, an API answer, a sitemap) into fields you can use, or build XML from your data.

What it does

The XML node converts in one of two directions, set by Direction:

• XML to JSON reads XML text and turns its elements and attributes into fields. The result is keyed by the root element, so <rss>…</rss> becomes { "rss": { … } }.
• JSON to XML takes an object and writes it out as XML text.

Both directions use the same simple rules:

• Attributes get an @ in front: <a href="x"/> becomes { "a": { "@href": "x" } }.
• An element with only text becomes that text: <a>hello</a> becomes { "a": "hello" }.
• Text next to attributes or child elements goes under #text: <a href="x">hi</a> becomes { "a": { "@href": "x", "#text": "hi" } }.
• Repeated elements with the same name become a list: two <item> elements become "item": ["1", "2"]. A single <item> stays a single value, not a list of one.
• An empty element becomes empty text: <a/> becomes { "a": "" }.

For safety, XML that declares its own entities (<!ENTITY …>) or points to an outside definition file (<!DOCTYPE … SYSTEM …> or PUBLIC) is refused. The text can be up to about 2 MB.

When to use it

• Read an RSS or Atom feed, a sitemap, or an API that answers in XML.
• Pull values out of an XML file you loaded with Extract From File or Local File Read.
• Build an XML body for a service that only accepts XML, then send it with Http Request.
• For web pages, use HTML Extract instead: HTML is rarely valid XML.

Inputs and settings

Setting	Type	What it does
Direction	Choice	Which way to convert. Options: XML to JSON, JSON to XML. Default: XML to JSON
Input	Value	The XML text (for XML to JSON) or JSON data (for JSON to XML) to convert.
Source Field	Text	Field on the incoming item to read, when the input above is left empty.
Put Result In Field	Text	Name of the field holding the answer. Default: data

• Where the input comes from. Input wins if it is filled, for example {{ $input.data }}. Otherwise the node reads Source Field (dots reach nested fields). If both are empty, it uses the incoming item itself. Only the first incoming item is read.
• For JSON to XML, the object needs exactly one top-level key, which becomes the root element: { "order": { "@id": "42", "item": ["A", "B"] } } gives <order id="42"><item>A</item><item>B</item></order>. Input also accepts JSON text.
• Put Result In Field is only used by JSON to XML. XML to JSON always outputs the converted object as the item.

Outputs

• Output

• XML to JSON: one item keyed by the root element. Read nested values with dots, for example {{ $input.rss.channel.title }}. Repeated elements are lists, so split them with Split Out on a path such as rss.channel.item.
• JSON to XML: one item with the XML text in Put Result In Field (data by default).

Values read from XML are always text. For example, set Compare As to Number in Sort when you sort by a price read from XML.

Dependencies and credentials

None. This node needs no connection and has no slots for other nodes.

Example workflow

1. An Http Request node fetches a blog’s RSS feed. The XML text arrives in its data field.
2. XML with Direction XML to JSON and Source Field data.
3. Split Out with Field To Split Out rss.channel.item and Output field name post gives one item per article.
4. Limit with Max Items 3 keeps the first three, and a Slack node posts {{ $input.post.title }} and {{ $input.post.link }}.

Common issues

• “This is not valid XML: …”. The text is not well-formed XML, often because it is an HTML page or an error message. Look at what the previous node returned.
• “XML to JSON needs XML text. This input is already parsed data.” The node got an object instead of text. Set Source Field to the field that holds the XML, such as data.
• “This XML declares a DTD with internal entities or an external subset …” The document starts with a <!DOCTYPE …> block that defines entities or loads an outside file. This is refused on purpose. Remove that block before converting, for example with Regex Replace.
• “JSON to XML needs an object with exactly one root element key; found …”. Wrap your data in one key, for example { "order": { … } }.
• “An array cannot be an element value directly; nest it under a key.” A list sits directly where an element should be. Put it under a named key, and each entry becomes a repeated element with that name.

Related nodes

• JSON: parse, build and reshape JSON text.
• HTML Extract: read values from web pages.
• Split Out: turn repeated elements into separate items.