Characteristics of XML Nodes
|
Characteristics of XML Nodes |
Fundamentals of Attributes
Introduction
When studying XML elements we saw how they constituted the main objects of an XML document. We also saw that an element could be nested inside of another element. Instead of nesting an element, you can transform the nested element into being part of the nesting element and thereby giving away its element qualities. This is the basis of an attribute.
An attribute is a value that is created as part of an element, making that value different from the value of a regular element. There are similarities and differences between an element and an attribute.
The element and the attribute have these in common:
The differences between an element and an attribute are:
Practical
Learning: Introducing XML Attributes
| Control | Text | Name | Other Properties | |
| Label |  |
Property Code: | ||
| TextBox |
 |
txtPropertyCode | Modifiers: Public | |
| Label |
|
Status | ||
| ComboBox |
 |
cbxStatus | Modifiers: Public Items: Sold Available Needs Repair |
|
| Label |
|
|||
| DateTimePicker |
 |
dtpDateListed | Modifiers: Public Format: Short |
|
| Label |
|
Year Built: | ||
| TextBox |
|
txtYearBuilt | ||
| Label |
|
Property Type: | ||
| ComboBox |
|
cbxPropertyTypes | Modifiers: Public Items: Unknown Single Family Townhouse Condominium |
|
| Label |
|
Style: | ||
| ComboBox |
|
cbxStyles | Modifiers: Public Items: Farm Colonial Victorian Contemporary |
|
| Label |
|
Address: | ||
| TextBox |
|
txtAddress | Modifiers: Public | |
| Label |
|
City: | ||
| TextBox |
|
txtCity | Modifiers: Public | |
| Label |
|
Location: | ||
| TextBox |
|
txtLocation | Modifiers: Public | |
| Label |
|
State: | ||
| ComboBox |
|
cbxStates | Modifiers: Public Items: DC MD PA VA WV |
|
| Label |
|
ZIP Code: | ||
| TextBox |
|
txtZIPCode | Modifiers: Public | |
| Label |
|
Stories | ||
| TextBox |
|
0 | txtStories | Modifiers: Public |
| Label |
|
Bedrooms: | ||
| TextBox |
|
0 | txtBedrooms | Modifiers: Public |
| Label |
|
Bathrooms: | ||
| TextBox |
|
0.0 | txtBathrooms | Modifiers: Public |
| Label |
|
Condition: | ||
| ComboBox |
|
cbxConditions | Modifiers: Public Items: Good Excellent Needs Repairs |
|
| Label |
|
Market Value: | ||
| TextBox |
|
0.00 | txtMarketValue | Modifiers: Public |
| Label |
|
Picture Path: | ||
| TextBox |
|
txtPicturePath | Modifiers: Public Enabled: False |
|
| Button |
 |
Select Picture... | btnPicture | |
| PictureBox |
 |
pbxProperty | Modifiers: Public SizeMode: Zoom |
|
| Button |
|
OK | btnOK | DialogResult: OK |
| Button |
|
Cancel | btnCancel | DialogResult: Cancel |
| OpenFileDialog |
 |
(Name): dlgPicture Title: Select Property Picture DefaultExt: jpg Filter: JPEG Files (*.jpg,*.jpeg)|*.jpg|GIF Files (*.gif)|*.gif|Bitmap Files (*.bmp)|*.bmp|PNG Files (*.png)|*.png |
||
private void btnPicture_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (dlgPicture.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
{
txtPicturePath.Text = dlgPicture.FileName;
pbxProperty.Image = Image.FromFile(txtPicturePath.Text);
}
}
| (Name) | Text | TextAlign | Width |
| colIndex | # | 40 | |
| colPropertyCode | Prop Code | Center | 65 |
| colPropertyType | Property Type | 80 | |
| colPropertyCondition | Condition | 65 | |
| colLocation | Location | 70 | |
| colStories | Stories | Right | 45 |
| colBedrooms | Bedrooms | Right | 62 |
| colBathrooms | Bathrooms | Right | 62 |
| colMarketValue | Market Value | Right | 75 |
| Control | Text | Name | Other Properties |
| ListView | lvwAllocations | View: Details GridLines: True FullRowSelect: True Anchor: Top, Bottom, Left, Right |
|
| PictureBox | pbxProperty | Anchor: Bottom, Left | |
| Label | Description | Anchor: Bottom, Right | |
| TextBox | txtDescription | Multiline: True Anchor: Bottom, Right |
|
| Button | New Property... | btnNewProperty | Anchor: Bottom, Right |
| Button | Close | btnClose | Anchor: Bottom, Right |
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.IO;
using System.Xml;
namespace AltairRealtors2
{
public partial class AltairRealtor : Form
{
public AltairRealtor()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void btnNewProperty_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Get a reference to the property editor
PropertyEditor editor = new PropertyEditor();
string strFilename = "properties.xml";
if (editor.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
{
string PropertyType, Location;
int Stories, Bedrooms;
float Bathrooms;
double MarketValue;
// We will need a reference to the XML document
XmlDocument docProperties = new XmlDocument();
// Find out if the file exists already
// If it doesn't, then create it
if (!File.Exists(strFilename))
{
docProperties.LoadXml("<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\"?>" +
"<Listing></Listing>");
docProperties.Save(strFilename);
}
// Open the XML file
docProperties.Load(strFilename);
// Get a reference to the root node
XmlElement nodRoot = docProperties.DocumentElement;
PropertyType = editor.cbxPropertyTypes.Text;
Location = editor.txtLocation.Text;
Stories = int.Parse(editor.txtStories.Text);
Bedrooms = int.Parse(editor.txtBedrooms.Text);
Bathrooms = float.Parse(editor.txtBathrooms.Text);
MarketValue = double.Parse(editor.txtMarketValue.Text);
// Get a reference to the root element
XmlElement elmRoot = docProperties.DocumentElement;
// Create a node named Property
XmlElement elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Property");
// Add it to the root element
elmRoot.AppendChild(elmProperty);
// Create a node named PropertyType
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("PropertyType");
XmlText txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(PropertyType);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create a node named Location
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Location");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Location);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create a node named Stories
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Stories");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Stories.ToString());
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create a node named Bedrooms
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Bedrooms");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Bedrooms.ToString());
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create a node named Bathrooms
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Bathrooms");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Bathrooms.ToString("F"));
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create a node named MarketValue
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("MarketValue");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(MarketValue.ToString("F"));
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Save the XML file
docProperties.Save(strFilename);
}
}
}
}| Property Type | Single Family |
| Location | White Oak |
| Stories | 2 |
| Bedrooms | 3 |
| Bathrooms | 2.5 |
| Market Value | 365580 |
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Listing>
<Property>
<PropertyType>Single Family</PropertyType>
<Location>White Oak</Location>
<Stories>2</Stories>
<Bedrooms>3</Bedrooms>
<Bathrooms>2.50</Bathrooms>
<MarketValue>365580.00</MarketValue>
</Property>
</Listing>
Creating an Attribute
Imagine you have an ISBN element as a child of a Video element as follows:
<video>
<ISBN>0-7888-1623-3</ISBN>
</video>
An attribute must be created inside the start-tag of an element. To manually create an attribute, type the left angle bracket of the element, followed by the name of the element, an empty space, and the name of the attribute. The name follows the same rules we defined for names in XML.
An attribute should have a value that can be used to distinguish it. To specify the name of an attribute, assign a value as a string to its name. In the case of the above code fragment, since ISBN is simply a child of the video element, you can change the ISBN element to become an attribute of the video element as follows:
<video ISBN="0-7888-1623-3">
Now, ISBN is an attribute of the video element.
Operations on an XML Attribute
The Inner Text of an Attribute
In the .NET Framework, an attribute is represented by the XmlAttribute class. Like all nodes, this class is based on the XmlNode class. The name of an attribute is represented by its (read-only) Name property. The value of an attribute is represented by its Value property. Besides Value, you can also use XmlAttribute.InnerText or XmlAttribute.InnerXml to access the text of an attribute.
Creating an Attribute
An element can have 0, one, or more attributes. The attributes of an element are stored in the Attributes property of an XmlElement object. The XmlElement.Attributes property is based on a class called XmlAttributeCollection. The XmlAttributeCollection class is based on the XmlNamedNodeMap class.
Before performing an attribute-related operation on an element, to find out whether the element has any attribute, you can check the value of the Boolean HasAttributes property of its XmlElement element. If this property produces a true value, then the element has at least one attribute; otherwise, the element doesn't have any.
While a certain element may have an attribute, a sibling element with the same name may not have an attribute or may have a completely different type of attribute. Here is an XML file with attributes in some elements:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<videos>
<video ISBN="0-7888-1623-3">
<title Screenplay="Marty Kaplan">The Distinguished Gentleman</title>
<director>Jonathan Lynn</director>
<length>112 Minutes</length>
<format>DVD</format>
<rating>R</rating>
</video>
<video>
<title WrittenBy="Charlie Peter">Her Alibi</title>
<director>Bruce Beresford</director>
<length>94 Mins</length>
<format>DVD</format>
<rating>PG-13</rating>
</video>
</videos>
Remember that you can include white spaces to make your code easy to read. This means that you can type an attribute on the next line of its element's name. We know that we can close an element with an end-tag as follows:
<video><ISBN>0-7888-1623-3</ISBN></video>
We also saw that we could close an element locally as follows: <video />. If you create an attribute in an empty element, you can also close it by typing the indicative forward slash before the right angle bracket and after an empty space. Here is an example:
<video ISBN="0-7888-1623-3" />
Setting an Attribute on an Element
As mentioned already, an attribute primarily belongs to an element. This means that, when creating an attribute, you must specify what element it would belong to. To support the attributes of an element, the XmlElement class is equipped with the SetAttribute() method which is overloaded in two versions. The first version of this method uses the following syntax:
public virtual void SetAttribute(string name, string value);
The first argument is the name of the new attribute and the second argument will be its text. Before adding an attribute, you should first identify its parent element. Here is an example that adds an attribute to the root element:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.IO;
using System.Xml;
namespace VideoCollection1
{
public partial class Exercise : Form
{
public Exercise()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void btnDocument_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
string strFilename = "videos.xml";
XmlDocument docXML = new XmlDocument();
if (File.Exists(strFilename))
{
// Open the XML file
docXML.Load(strFilename);
// Create an attribute and add it to the root element
docXML.DocumentElement.SetAttribute("FileDesc",
"Personal Video Collection");
docXML.Save("videos.xml");
}
}
}
}
From the above videos.xml file, this code would result in:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<videos FileDesc="Personal Video Collection">
<video ISBN="0-7888-1623-3">
<title Screenplay="Marty Kaplan">The Distinguished Gentleman</title>
<director>Jonathan Lynn</director>
<length>112 Minutes</length>
<format>DVD</format>
<rating>R</rating>
</video>
<video>
<title WrittenBy="Charlie Peter">Her Alibi</title>
<director>Bruce Beresford</director>
<length>94 Mins</length>
<format>DVD</format>
<rating>PG-13</rating>
</video>
</videos>
Practical
Learning: Creating an Attribute
private void btnNewProperty_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Get a reference to the property editor
PropertyEditor editor = new PropertyEditor();
string strFilename = "properties.xml";
Random rnd = new Random();
editor.txtPropertyCode.Text = rnd.Next(100, 999).ToString() +
"-" + rnd.Next(100, 999).ToString();
if (editor.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
{
string PropertyCode, PropertyType, Location, SaleStatus;
int Stories, Bedrooms;
float Bathrooms;
double MarketValue;
// We will need a reference to the XML document
XmlDocument docProperties = new XmlDocument();
// Find out if the file exists already
// If it doesn't, then create it
if (!File.Exists(strFilename))
{
docProperties.LoadXml("<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\"?>" +
"<Listing></Listing>");
docProperties.Save(strFilename);
}
// Open the XML file
docProperties.Load(strFilename);
// Get a reference to the root node
XmlElement nodRoot = docProperties.DocumentElement;
PropertyCode = editor.txtPropertyCode.Text;
SaleStatus = editor.cbxStatus.Text;
PropertyType = editor.cbxPropertyTypes.Text;
Location = editor.txtLocation.Text;
Stories = int.Parse(editor.txtStories.Text);
Bedrooms = int.Parse(editor.txtBedrooms.Text);
Bathrooms = float.Parse(editor.txtBathrooms.Text);
MarketValue = double.Parse(editor.txtMarketValue.Text);
// Get a reference to the root element
XmlElement elmRoot = docProperties.DocumentElement;
// Create a node named Property
XmlElement elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Property");
// Create an attribute for the Propety node
elmProperty.SetAttribute("Code", PropertyCode);
// Create an attribute for the Propety node
elmProperty.SetAttribute("Status", SaleStatus);
// Add it to the root element
elmRoot.AppendChild(elmProperty);
// Create a node named PropertyType
. . . No Change
}
}
| Status | Sold |
| Property Type | Single Family |
| Location | Arlington Cemetery |
| Stories | 3 |
| Bedrooms | 5 |
| Bathrooms | 3.5 |
| Market Value | 675880 |
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Listing>
<Property>
<PropertyType>Single Family</PropertyType>
<Location>White Oak</Location>
<Stories>2</Stories>
<Bedrooms>3</Bedrooms>
<Bathrooms>2.50</Bathrooms>
<MarketValue>365580.00</MarketValue>
</Property>
<Property Code="700-326" Status="Sold">
<PropertyType>Single Family</PropertyType>
<Location>Arlington Cemetery</Location>
<Stories>3</Stories>
<Bedrooms>5</Bedrooms>
<Bathrooms>3.50</Bathrooms>
<MarketValue>675880.00</MarketValue>
</Property>
</Listing>
Adding an Attribute to an Element
To support attribute addition, the XmlDocument class is equipped with the CreateAttribute() method, which is overloaded in three versions. The first version of this method has the following syntax:
public XmlAttribute CreateAttribute(string name);
This method expects the name of the attribute as argument. If it succeeds, this method produces an XmlAttribute object. To add the new attribute to an element, you can call the XmlElement.SetAttributeNote() method. This method is overloaded in two versions. One of the versions uses the following syntax:
public virtual XmlAttribute SetAttributeNode(XmlAttribute newAttr);
This method expects an XmlAttribute object. Here is an example that looks for a particular video in a collection and adds an ISBN attribute to it:
private void btnDocument_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
string strFilename = "videos.xml";
XmlDocument docXML = new XmlDocument();
if (File.Exists(strFilename))
{
// Open the XML file
docXML.Load(strFilename);
// Create a new attribute
XmlAttribute atrXML = docXML.CreateAttribute("ISBN");
atrXML.Value = "0-7907-3900-3";
// Get a list of elements whose names are Video
XmlNodeList nodVideos = docXML.GetElementsByTagName("video");
// Since we will look for a specific video, get the list of all titles
XmlNodeList nodTitles = docXML.GetElementsByTagName("title");
// Visit each title
for (int i = 0; i < nodTitles.Count; i++)
{
// Look for a video whose title is "Her Alibi"
if (nodTitles[i].InnerText.Equals("Her Alibi"))
{
// Once you find that video, add the new attribute to it
((XmlElement)(nodVideos[i])).SetAttributeNode(atrXML);
}
}
docXML.Save("videos.xml");
}
}
From the above Videos.xml file, this code would result in:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<videos FileDesc="Personal Video Collection">
<video ISBN="0-7888-1623-3">
<title Screenplay="Marty Kaplan">The Distinguished Gentleman</title>
<director>Jonathan Lynn</director>
<actors>
</actors>
<length>112 Minutes</length>
<format>DVD</format>
<rating>R</rating>
</video>
<video ISBN="0-7907-3900-3">
<title WrittenBy="Charlie Peter">Her Alibi</title>
<director>Bruce Beresford</director>
<length>94 Mins</length>
<format>DVD</format>
<rating>PG-13</rating>
</video>
</videos>
Practical Learning: Adding an Attribute to an Element
private void btnNewProperty_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Get a reference to the property editor
PropertyEditor editor = new PropertyEditor();
// If this directory doesn't exist, create it
Directory.CreateDirectory(@"C:\Altair Realtors");
// This is the XML file that holds the list of proeprties
string strFilename = @"C:\Altair Realtors\properties.xml";
Random rnd = new Random();
editor.txtPropertyCode.Text = rnd.Next(100, 999).ToString() +
"-" + rnd.Next(100, 999).ToString();
if (editor.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
{
string PropertyCode, PropertyType, Location,
SaleStatus, Style, Condition;
int YearBuilt, Stories, Bedrooms;
float Bathrooms;
double MarketValue;
// We will need a reference to the XML document
XmlDocument docProperties = new XmlDocument();
// Find out if the file exists already
// If it doesn't, then create it
if (!File.Exists(strFilename))
{
docProperties.LoadXml("<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\"?>" +
"<Listing></Listing>");
docProperties.Save(strFilename);
}
// Open the XML file
docProperties.Load(strFilename);
// Get a reference to the root node
XmlElement nodRoot = docProperties.DocumentElement;
PropertyCode = editor.txtPropertyCode.Text;
SaleStatus = editor.cbxStatus.Text;
YearBuilt = int.Parse(editor.txtYearBuilt.Text);
PropertyType = editor.cbxPropertyTypes.Text;
Style = editor.cbxStyle.Text;
Condition = editor.cbxConditions.Text;
Bedrooms = int.Parse(editor.txtBedrooms.Text);
Bathrooms = float.Parse(editor.txtBathrooms.Text);
MarketValue = double.Parse(editor.txtMarketValue.Text);
// Get a reference to the root element
XmlElement elmRoot = docProperties.DocumentElement;
// Create a node named Property
XmlElement elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Property");
// Create an attribute for the Propety node
elmProperty.SetAttribute("Code", PropertyCode);
// Create an attribute for the Propety node
elmProperty.SetAttribute("Status", SaleStatus);
// Add it to the root element
elmRoot.AppendChild(elmProperty);
// Create a node named Property
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("DateListed");
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
// Create an attribute for the DateListed element
XmlAttribute atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("YearBuilt");
atrProperty.Value = YearBuilt.ToString();
elmProperty.SetAttributeNode(atrProperty);
// Create a node named PropertyType
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("PropertyType");
XmlText txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(PropertyType);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create an attribute for the PropertyType element
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("Style");
atrProperty.Value = Style;
elmProperty.SetAttributeNode(atrProperty);
// Create an attribute for the PropertyType element
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("Condition");
atrProperty.Value = Condition;
elmProperty.SetAttributeNode(atrProperty);
// Create a node named Location
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Location");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Location);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
. . . No Change
// Save the XML file
docProperties.Save(strFilename);
}
}
The Parent of an Attribute
Once an attribute has been created, to identify the element it belongs to, you can access its XmlAttribute.OwnerElement property. This property produces an XmlElement value.
Attribute Removal
If an element has an attribute you don't want or that you don't need anymore, you can delete that attribute. You have various options, two are available through the XmlElement class.
The attributes of an XmlElement object are considered stored in an indexed list with the most left attribute at index 0, the second from left at index 1, and so on. Based on this, to remove an attribute by locating it based on its index, you can call the XmlElement.RemoveAttributeAt() method. Its syntax is:
public virtual XmlNode RemoveAttributeAt(int i);
When calling this method, if an attribute exists at position i, it will be deleted and the method would return it. If there is no attribute at that index, the method doesn't do anything and it returns 0.
Using the XmlElement.RemoveAttributeAt() method to delete an attribute can be uncertain because you would not know whether there is an attribute at the specified position. An alternative is to specify the name of the attribute you want to delete. To support this, the XmlElement class is equipped with the RemoveAttribute() method, which is overloaded with two versions. One of the versions of this method uses the following syntax:
public virtual void RemoveAttribute(string name);
This method expects as argument the name of the attribute to remove.
Another technique you can use consists of defining an XmlAttribute object and submitting to its XmlElement parent to delete. To do this, you can call the RemoveAttributeNode() method of the XmlElement object. Its syntax is:
public virtual XmlAttribute RemoveAttributeNode(XmlAttribute oldAttr);
When calling this method, pass the attribute object as argument. If the attribute exists, it would be removed and the method would return the deleted attribute. If the attribute doesn't exist, nothing would happen.
The Collection of Attributes of an Element
Introduction
So far, we have used only one attribute per element. Fortunately, you can create as many attributes as you judge necessary in an element. To do this, type the name of each attribute, assign it a double-quoted string and separate the attribute from the next with an empty space. Here is an example of an element with different attributes:
<video ISBN="0-7888-1623-3" ScreenRatio="Standard" SoundtrackAvailable="True" />
As mentioned already and as you should always remember, attributes belong to an element. To support them, the attributes of an element are stored in the Attributes property of the XmlElement class. The XmlElement.Attributes property is based on a class called XmlAttributeCollection.
To know the number of attributes in an element, you can use the XmlNamedNodeMap.Count property.
Attribute Addition
Whether using its index or name, after accessing an attribute, you can manipulate it as you see fit. For example, you can change or delete it using the same techniques we saw to perform on an individual attribute.
As mentioned already, the attributes are stored as a list. Because you have complete access to this list and the positions of its attributes, when creating or adding a new attribute, you can specify the position the new attribute should have in the collection. To create an attribute as the first in an element, you can call the XmlAttributeCollection.Prepend() method. Its syntax is:
public virtual XmlAttribute Prepend(XmlAttribute node);
Another technique you can use consists of locating an attribute first. Once you have one, to create a new attribute before it, you can call the XmlAttributeCollection.InsertBefore() method. Its syntax is:
public virtual XmlAttribute InsertBefore(XmlAttribute newNode, XmlAttribute refNode);
To add a new attribute after the current one, you can call the XmlAttributeCollection.InsertAfter() method. Its syntax is:
public virtual XmlAttribute InsertAfter(XmlAttribute newNode, XmlAttribute refNode);
To add an attribute at the end of the list of attributes of an element, you can call the XmlAttributeCollection.Append() method. Its syntax is:
public virtual XmlAttribute Append(XmlAttribute node);
Practical
Learning: Adding Attributes
private void btnNewProperty_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Get a reference to the property editor
PropertyEditor editor = new PropertyEditor();
// If this directory doesn't exist, create it
string strDirectory = @"C:\Altair Realtors";
Directory.CreateDirectory(strDirectory);
// This is the XML file that holds the list of proeprties
string strFilename = @"C:\Altair Realtors\properties.xml";
Random rnd = new Random();
editor.txtPropertyCode.Text = rnd.Next(100, 999).ToString() +
"-" + rnd.Next(100, 999).ToString();
string strPicturePath;
if (editor.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
{
string PropertyCode, PropertyType, Location,
SaleStatus, Style, Condition,
Address, City, State, ZIPCode, Description;
DateTime DateListed;
int YearBuilt, Stories, Bedrooms;
float Bathrooms;
double MarketValue;
// We will need a reference to the XML document
XmlDocument docProperties = new XmlDocument();
// Find out if the file exists already
// If it doesn't, then create it
if (!File.Exists(strFilename))
{
docProperties.LoadXml("<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\"?>" +
"<Listing></Listing>");
docProperties.Save(strFilename);
}
// Open the XML file
docProperties.Load(strFilename);
// Get a reference to the root node
XmlElement nodRoot = docProperties.DocumentElement;
PropertyCode = editor.txtPropertyCode.Text;
SaleStatus = editor.cbxStatus.Text;
DateListed = editor.dtpDateListed.Value;
YearBuilt = int.Parse(editor.txtYearBuilt.Text);
PropertyType = editor.cbxPropertyTypes.Text;
Style = editor.cbxStyle.Text;
Condition = editor.cbxConditions.Text;
Location = editor.txtLocation.Text;
Address = editor.txtAddress.Text;
City = editor.txtCity.Text;
State = editor.cbxStates.Text;
ZIPCode = editor.txtZIPCode.Text;
Stories = int.Parse(editor.txtStories.Text);
Bedrooms = int.Parse(editor.txtBedrooms.Text);
Bathrooms = float.Parse(editor.txtBathrooms.Text);
Description = editor.txtDescription.Text;
MarketValue = double.Parse(editor.txtMarketValue.Text);
strPicturePath = editor.txtPicturePath.Text;
// Get a reference to the root element
XmlElement elmRoot = docProperties.DocumentElement;
// Create a node named Property
XmlElement elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Property");
// Create an attribute for the Propety node
elmProperty.SetAttribute("Code", PropertyCode);
// Create an attribute for the Propety node
elmProperty.SetAttribute("Status", SaleStatus);
// Add it to the root element
elmRoot.AppendChild(elmProperty);
// Create a node named Property
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("DateListed");
XmlText txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(DateListed.ToString("d"));
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
// Create an attribute for the DateListed element
XmlAttribute atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("YearBuilt");
atrProperty.Value = YearBuilt.ToString();
elmProperty.SetAttributeNode(atrProperty);
// Create a node named PropertyType
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("PropertyType");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(PropertyType);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create an attribute for the PropertyType element
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("Style");
atrProperty.Value = Style;
elmProperty.SetAttributeNode(atrProperty);
// Create an attribute for the PropertyType element
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("Condition");
atrProperty.Value = Condition;
elmProperty.SetAttributeNode(atrProperty);
// Create a node named Location
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Location");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Location);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create some attributes for the Location element
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("Address");
atrProperty.Value = Address;
elmProperty.Attributes.Append(atrProperty);
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("City");
atrProperty.Value = City;
elmProperty.Attributes.Append(atrProperty);
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("State");
atrProperty.Value = State;
elmProperty.Attributes.Append(atrProperty);
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("ZIPCode");
atrProperty.Value = ZIPCode;
elmProperty.Attributes.Append(atrProperty);
// Create a node named Stories
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Stories");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Stories.ToString());
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create a node named Bedrooms
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Bedrooms");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Bedrooms.ToString());
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create a node named Bathrooms
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Bathrooms");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Bathrooms.ToString("F"));
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create a node named MarketValue
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("MarketValue");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(MarketValue.ToString("F"));
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create a node named Description
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Description");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Description);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Save the XML file
docProperties.Save(strFilename);
if (strPicturePath.Length != 0)
{
// The following code gets a reference to the picture's name
FileInfo flePicture = new FileInfo(strPicturePath);
// Then it copies it to the directory of this business
// It changes its name to be the same as the property code
flePicture.CopyTo(@"C:\Altair Realtors\" + PropertyCode + flePicture.Extension, true);
}
ShowListing();
if( lvwProperties.Items.Count > 0 )
lvwProperties.Items[0].Selected = true;
}
}
void ShowListing()
{
}
Access to an XML Attribute
To access an attribute by its position in the collection, you can use the XmlNamedNodeMap.Item() method.
The XmlAttributeCollection class is equipped with an ItemOf indexed property. This property is overloaded in three versions. The first version has the following syntax:
public virtual XmlAttribute this[int i] {get;}
This property allows you to access an attribute by considering that the attributes are stored in an array. The first or most left attribute has an index of 0; the second attribute from left (of course without counting the name of the element) has an index of 1, and so on.
It can be difficult and sometimes unpredictable, in some scenarios, to access an attribute by its index because you must know exactly where each attribute is positioned. Consider the following version of our Videos.xml XML file:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<videos FileDesc="Personal Video Collection">
<video ISBN="0-7888-1623-3"
ScreenRatio="Standard"
SoundtrackAvailable="True">
<title StoryBy="Marty Kaplan and Jonathan Reynold"
Screenplay="Marty Kaplan">The Distinguished Gentleman</title>
<director>Jonathan Lynn</director>
<actors></actors>
<length>112 Minutes</length>
<format>DVD</format>
<rating>R</rating>
</video>
<video ISBN="0-7907-3900-3">
<title Screenplay="Charlie Peter">Her Alibi</title>
<director>Bruce Beresford</director>
<length>94 Mins</length>
<format>DVD</format>
<rating>PG-13</rating>
</video>
</videos>
In the first video, the name of the screenplay writer is stored at index 1. In the second video, the name of the screenplay writer is stored at index 0. In this case, it may not be a good item to use the index to locate an attribute. Fortunately, the second version of the overloaded XmlAttributeCollection.ItemOf[] property has the following syntax:
public virtual XmlAttribute this[string name] {get;}
With this version, you can explicitly specify the name of the attribute that you want.
Practical
Learning: Accessing Some Attributes
void ShowListing()
{
XmlDocument docProperties = new XmlDocument();
string strFilename = @"C:\Altair Realtors\properties.xml";
if (File.Exists(strFilename))
{
lvwProperties.Items.Clear();
docProperties.Load(strFilename);
XmlElement elmProperty = docProperties.DocumentElement;
XmlNodeList lstProperties = elmProperty.ChildNodes;
int i = 1;
foreach (XmlNode node in lstProperties)
{
ListViewItem lviProperty = new ListViewItem(i.ToString());
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(node.Attributes[0].InnerText);
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(node.FirstChild.NextSibling.InnerText);
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(node.FirstChild.NextSibling.Attributes[1].InnerText);
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(node.FirstChild.NextSibling.NextSibling.InnerText);
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(node.FirstChild.NextSibling.NextSibling.NextSibling.InnerText);
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(node.FirstChild.NextSibling.NextSibling.NextSibling.NextSibling.InnerText);
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(node.FirstChild.NextSibling.NextSibling.NextSibling.NextSibling.NextSibling.InnerText);
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(node.FirstChild.NextSibling.NextSibling.NextSibling.NextSibling.NextSibling.NextSibling.InnerText);
lvwProperties.Items.Add(lviProperty);
i++;
}
txtDescription.Text = lstProperties[0]["Description"].InnerText;
}
}
private void AltairRealtor_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
ShowListing();
if( lvwProperties.Items.Count > 0 )
lvwProperties.Items[0].Selected = true;
}
private void lvwProperties_SelectedIndexChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if( (lvwProperties.SelectedItems.Count == 0) ||
(lvwProperties.SelectedItems.Count > 1) )
return;
string strPropertyCode = lvwProperties.SelectedItems[0].SubItems[1].Text;
// Make a list of the picture files
string strDirectory = @"C:\Altair Realtors";
DirectoryInfo dirProperties = new DirectoryInfo(strDirectory);
FileInfo[] PictureFiles = dirProperties.GetFiles();
// Look for a file that holds the same name as the item number
foreach (FileInfo fle in PictureFiles)
{
// Get the name of the file without its extension
string fwe = Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(fle.FullName);
if( fwe == strPropertyCode )
pbxProperty.Image = Image.FromFile(strDirectory +
"\\" + strPropertyCode + fle.Extension);
}
XmlDocument docProperties = new XmlDocument();
string strFilename = @"C:\Altair Realtors\properties.xml";
if( File.Exists(strFilename) )
{
docProperties.Load(strFilename);
XmlElement elmProperty = docProperties.DocumentElement;
XmlNodeList lstProperties = elmProperty.ChildNodes;
foreach(XmlNode node in lstProperties)
{
if( node.Attributes[0].InnerText == strPropertyCode )
txtDescription.Text = node["Description"].InnerText;
}
}
}
private void btnClose_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Close();
}Attribute Removal
Using the list of attributes of an element, you can delete one or all attributes of an element. Since the attributes are stored in a collection, you can locate the undesired attribute by its index and then delete it. To do this, you can call the XmlAttributeCollection.RemoveAt() method. Its syntax is:
public virtual XmlAttribute RemoveAt(int i);
This method expects the index of the attribute that needs to be removed. As mentioned for the XmlAttributeCollection.ItemOf indexed property, to efficiently use this RemoveAt() method, you should know the exact index of the attribute, otherwise, you may access and therefore delete the wrong attribute. An alternative is to explicitly identify the attribute you want to delete. To do this, you can call the XmlAttributeCollection.Remove() method. Its syntax is:
public virtual XmlAttribute Remove(XmlAttribute node);
This method takes as attribute the XmlAttribute identification of the attribute you want to remove.
To delete all attributes of an element, you can call the XmlAttributeCollection.RemoveAll() method. Its syntax is:
public virtual void RemoveAll();
This method would simply remove all attributes that belong to an XmlElement object.
Overview of Types of Nodes
Introduction
To differentiate the various nodes that belong to an XML file, they are classified by their category. As mentioned earlier, the types of node are listed in the XmlNodeType enumerator.
Comments
A comment is a character, a line or a paragraph that is not considered as part of the XML code that needs to be processed. A comment allows you to insert notes or personal observations inside an XML file. For this reason, a commented section can be written any way you like. This means that a comment can include plain text, formulas, expressions, or even XML code as long as you know that that XML code will not be validated: it will ignored by the parser.
To create a comment, you use the following formula:
<!-- Blah Blah Blah ->
Between <!-- and -->, any text in that section is considered a comment and you can include anything you want. Both sections of the comment use two dashes, not more, not less. Here is an example:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!-- In this collection, we will keep each title "as is" -->
<videos>
<video>
<title>The Distinguished Gentleman</title>
<director>Jonathan Lynn</director>
<length>112 Minutes</length>
<format>DVD</format>
<rating>R</rating>
</video>
<video>
<title>Her Alibi</title>
<director>Bruce Beresford</director>
<length>94 Mins</length>
<format>DVD</format>
<rating>PG-13</rating>
</video>
</videos>
This would produce:
The System.Xml represents a comment through the XmlComment class. Like any other part of an XML file, a comment is represented by the XmlComment.Name property. This allows you to retrieve the name of a comment that is included in the document.
To create a comment, you can call the XmlDocument.CreateComment() method. Its syntax is:
public virtual XmlComment CreateComment(string data);
This method takes as argument the text that would go into the commented section. After calling it, if the method succeeds, which it usually does, it returns the XmlComment object that was created.
Practical
Learning: Creating Comments
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.IO;
using System.Xml;
namespace AltairRealtors2
{
public partial class AltairRealtor : Form
{
public AltairRealtor()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void btnNewProperty_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Get a reference to the property editor
PropertyEditor editor = new PropertyEditor();
// If this directory doesn't exist, create it
string strDirectory = @"C:\Altair Realtors";
Directory.CreateDirectory(strDirectory);
// This is the XML file that holds the list of proeprties
string strFilename = @"C:\Altair Realtors\properties.xml";
Random rnd = new Random();
editor.txtPropertyCode.Text = rnd.Next(100, 999).ToString() +
"-" + rnd.Next(100, 999).ToString();
string strPicturePath;
if (editor.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
{
string PropertyCode, PropertyType, Location,
SaleStatus, Style, Condition,
Address, City, State, ZIPCode, Description;
DateTime DateListed;
int YearBuilt, Stories, Bedrooms;
float Bathrooms;
double MarketValue;
// Create the values of the nodes and attributes
PropertyCode = editor.txtPropertyCode.Text;
SaleStatus = editor.cbxStatus.Text;
DateListed = editor.dtpDateListed.Value;
YearBuilt = int.Parse(editor.txtYearBuilt.Text);
PropertyType = editor.cbxPropertyTypes.Text;
Style = editor.cbxStyle.Text;
Condition = editor.cbxConditions.Text;
Location = editor.txtLocation.Text;
Address = editor.txtAddress.Text;
City = editor.txtCity.Text;
State = editor.cbxStates.Text;
ZIPCode = editor.txtZIPCode.Text;
Stories = int.Parse(editor.txtStories.Text);
Bedrooms = int.Parse(editor.txtBedrooms.Text);
Bathrooms = float.Parse(editor.txtBathrooms.Text);
Description = editor.txtDescription.Text;
MarketValue = double.Parse(editor.txtMarketValue.Text);
strPicturePath = editor.txtPicturePath.Text;
// We will need a reference to the XML document
XmlDocument docProperties = new XmlDocument();
XmlElement elmRoot;
// Find out if the file exists already
// If it doesn't, then create it
if (!File.Exists(strFilename))
{
docProperties.LoadXml("<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\"?>" +
"<Listing></Listing>");
// Get a reference to the root element
elmRoot = docProperties.DocumentElement;
// Add a comment to it
string strComment = "This is code for a real estate business.\n";
XmlComment cmtDescription = docProperties.CreateComment(strComment);
docProperties.InsertBefore(cmtDescription, elmRoot);
// Get a reference to the root element
elmRoot = docProperties.DocumentElement;
strComment = "A property is created with the Property element.\n";
strComment += "\tFor each property, a random number is created.\n";
strComment += "\tThis number is made of two parts that each\n";
strComment += "\tranges from 100 to 999.\n";
strComment += "\tBoth parts are separated by a dash.";
cmtDescription = docProperties.CreateComment(strComment);
elmRoot.AppendChild(cmtDescription);
strComment = "The sale status, named Status, indicates whether\n";
strComment += "\tthe property is currently available or has\n";
strComment += "\talready been sold.\n";
strComment += "\tThe possible values are Available and Sold.";
cmtDescription = docProperties.CreateComment(strComment);
elmRoot.AppendChild(cmtDescription);
// Create a node named Property
XmlElement elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Property");
// Create an attribute for the Propety node
elmProperty.SetAttribute("Code", PropertyCode);
// Create an attribute for the Propety node
elmProperty.SetAttribute("Status", SaleStatus);
// Add it to the root element
elmRoot.AppendChild(elmProperty);
strComment = "An element named DateListed specifies when\n";
strComment += "\tthe property was added to the listing\n";
strComment += "\tor when it entered in the market.";
cmtDescription = docProperties.CreateComment(strComment);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(cmtDescription);
strComment = "As its name suggests, the YearBuilt attribute\n";
strComment += "\tindicates the year the property was built.";
cmtDescription = docProperties.CreateComment(strComment);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(cmtDescription);
// Create a node named Property
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("DateListed");
XmlText txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(DateListed.ToString("d"));
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create an attribute for the DateListed element
XmlAttribute atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("YearBuilt");
atrProperty.Value = YearBuilt.ToString();
elmProperty.SetAttributeNode(atrProperty);
strComment = "The property type must be\n";
strComment += "\t* Single Family: For a house that stands by itself\n";
strComment += "\t* Townhouse: For a full house but that is attached\n";
strComment += "\t\tto at least another house.\n";
strComment += "\t* Condominium: For a type of apartment that\n";
strComment += "\t\tbelongs to a building.";
cmtDescription = docProperties.CreateComment(strComment);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(cmtDescription);
// Create a node named PropertyType
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("PropertyType");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(PropertyType);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
strComment = "The style of a property indicates a type of ";
strComment += "\tarchitecture.\n";
strComment += "\tThe possible styles are Contemporary, Colonial,\n";
strComment += "\tVictorian, or Farmhouse.";
cmtDescription = docProperties.CreateComment(strComment);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(cmtDescription);
// Create an attribute for the PropertyType element
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("Style");
atrProperty.Value = Style;
elmProperty.SetAttributeNode(atrProperty);
strComment = "The Condition attribute specifies whether the\n";
strComment += "\tproperty can currently be presented to a customer,\n";
strComment += "\tor at least how it appears at the moment.\n";
strComment += "\tThe possible conditions are:\n";
strComment += "\t* Excellent: This suggests that the property has\n";
strComment += "\t\tlittle to no flaw\n";
strComment += "\t* Good: This means that the property is mostly\n";
strComment += "\t\tacceptable and can be presented to a potential buyer.\n";
strComment += "\t\tIn this case, something such as a refrigerator or\n";
strComment += "\t\ta dishwasher may be missing; or something such as\n";
strComment += "\t\tthe garbage dispenser may need to be fixed, or a\n";
strComment += "\t\tpiece of carpet that needs to be cleaned before the\n";
strComment += "\t\tproperty is actually ready for sale\n";
strComment += "\t* Needs Repair: This means that the property is\n";
strComment += "\t\tin a good selling condition.";
cmtDescription = docProperties.CreateComment(strComment);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(cmtDescription);
// Create an attribute for the PropertyType element
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("Condition");
atrProperty.Value = Condition;
elmProperty.SetAttributeNode(atrProperty);
strComment = "A property can be located by its address which\n";
strComment += "\tin most cases is made of an address, a city,\n";
strComment += "\ta state (US, DE, AU, NG, etc) or\n";
strComment += "\tprovince (CA, CM, etc), a ZIP Code (US) or\n";
strComment += "\tpostal code (CA, GB, BE, etc).";
cmtDescription = docProperties.CreateComment(strComment);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(cmtDescription);
strComment = "To make it easy to locally find a property,\n";
strComment += "\tthe location may not be an actual\n";
strComment += "\tcity and usually people out of town may have a\n";
strComment += "\thard time finding it on a map. Nevertheless,\n";
strComment += "\tlocal people, the inhabitants, and those\n";
strComment += "\tinterested in real estate properties would\n";
strComment += "\tbe familiar with the place.";
cmtDescription = docProperties.CreateComment(strComment);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(cmtDescription);
// Create a node named Location
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Location");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Location);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create some attributes for the Location element
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("Address");
atrProperty.Value = Address;
elmProperty.Attributes.Append(atrProperty);
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("City");
atrProperty.Value = City;
elmProperty.Attributes.Append(atrProperty);
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("State");
atrProperty.Value = State;
elmProperty.Attributes.Append(atrProperty);
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("ZIPCode");
atrProperty.Value = ZIPCode;
elmProperty.Attributes.Append(atrProperty);
strComment = "Stories is the number\n";
strComment += "\tof levels (in other countries such as AU).\n";
strComment += "\tThis includes the basement (if any), the\n";
strComment += "\tfloor level, and the upper level(s), if any.\n";
strComment += "\tMost new constructions of single families in\n";
strComment += "\tUS, CA, DE, GB, and AU have three stories but you\n";
strComment += "\tmust check. Most condos have one story but it\n";
strComment += "\tis not uncommon for a condo to have 2 stories.";
cmtDescription = docProperties.CreateComment(strComment);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(cmtDescription);
// Create a node named Stories
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Stories");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Stories.ToString());
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
strComment = "A bedroom is a clearly designated area made for\n";
strComment += "\tsleeping. It is easily identifiable in any\n";
strComment += "\tconstruction. Still, if the basement of a house\n";
strComment += "\tis finished, unless it is clearly made as a\n";
strComment += "\tbedroom, it should not be counted as such.";
cmtDescription = docProperties.CreateComment(strComment);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(cmtDescription);
// Create a node named Bedrooms
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Bedrooms");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Bedrooms.ToString());
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
strComment = "In our real estate listing, there are two\n";
strComment += "\ttypes of bathrooms, full and half:\n";
strComment += "\t* A bathroom is counted as full if it is\n";
strComment += "\t\tequipped with either a shower area, a bath tub,\n";
strComment += "\t\tor both. In addition, it should have toilet\n";
strComment += "\t\tand a sink\n";
strComment += "\t* A bathroom is considered half if it (typically)\n";
strComment += "\t\thas neither a shower area nor a bath tub.\n";
strComment += "\t\tIn most single family and townhouses, a half bath\n";
strComment += "\t\tis constructed on the floor level to\n";
strComment += "\t\tconveniently serve the visitors who enter the house.\n";
strComment += "\t\tA typical half bathroom has a toilet (to\n";
strComment += "\t\tdo the business) and a sink to wash the hands.";
cmtDescription = docProperties.CreateComment(strComment);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(cmtDescription);
// Create a node named Bathrooms
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Bathrooms");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Bathrooms.ToString("F"));
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
strComment = "The value of the property, also referred to as\n";
strComment += "\tthe market value or the listing value, can be\n";
strComment += "\tthe asking price for the property.";
cmtDescription = docProperties.CreateComment(strComment);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(cmtDescription);
// Create a node named MarketValue
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("MarketValue");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(MarketValue.ToString("F"));
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
strComment = "The description of a property gives an overview\n";
strComment += "\tof what the property offers. It is\n";
strComment += "\tusually written with positive words that\n";
strComment += "\tcan entice, we mean invite :), a pontential\n";
strComment += "\tbuyer to feel comfortable with the idea of\n";
strComment += "\tacquiring the property.";
cmtDescription = docProperties.CreateComment(strComment);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(cmtDescription);
// Create a node named Description
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Description");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Description);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Save the XML file
docProperties.Save(strFilename);
}
else
{
// Open the XML file
docProperties.Load(strFilename);
// Get a reference to the root element
elmRoot = docProperties.DocumentElement;
// Create a node named Property
XmlElement elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Property");
// Create an attribute for the Propety node
elmProperty.SetAttribute("Code", PropertyCode);
// Create an attribute for the Propety node
elmProperty.SetAttribute("Status", SaleStatus);
// Add it to the root element
elmRoot.AppendChild(elmProperty);
// Create a node named Property
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("DateListed");
XmlText txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(DateListed.ToString("d"));
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
// Create an attribute for the DateListed element
XmlAttribute atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("YearBuilt");
atrProperty.Value = YearBuilt.ToString();
elmProperty.SetAttributeNode(atrProperty);
// Create a node named PropertyType
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("PropertyType");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(PropertyType);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create an attribute for the PropertyType element
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("Style");
atrProperty.Value = Style;
elmProperty.SetAttributeNode(atrProperty);
// Create an attribute for the PropertyType element
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("Condition");
atrProperty.Value = Condition;
elmProperty.SetAttributeNode(atrProperty);
// Create a node named Location
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Location");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Location);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create some attributes for the Location element
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("Address");
atrProperty.Value = Address;
elmProperty.Attributes.Append(atrProperty);
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("City");
atrProperty.Value = City;
elmProperty.Attributes.Append(atrProperty);
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("State");
atrProperty.Value = State;
elmProperty.Attributes.Append(atrProperty);
atrProperty = docProperties.CreateAttribute("ZIPCode");
atrProperty.Value = ZIPCode;
elmProperty.Attributes.Append(atrProperty);
// Create a node named Stories
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Stories");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Stories.ToString());
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create a node named Bedrooms
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Bedrooms");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Bedrooms.ToString());
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create a node named Bathrooms
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Bathrooms");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Bathrooms.ToString("F"));
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create a node named MarketValue
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("MarketValue");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(MarketValue.ToString("F"));
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Create a node named Description
elmProperty = docProperties.CreateElement("Description");
txtProperty = docProperties.CreateTextNode(Description);
elmRoot.LastChild.AppendChild(elmProperty);
elmRoot.LastChild.LastChild.AppendChild(txtProperty);
// Save the XML file
docProperties.Save(strFilename);
}
if (strPicturePath.Length != 0)
{
// The following code gets a reference to the picture's name
FileInfo flePicture = new FileInfo(strPicturePath);
// Then it copies it to the directory of this business
// It changes its name to be the same as the property code
flePicture.CopyTo(@"C:\Altair Realtors\" + PropertyCode + flePicture.Extension, true);
}
ShowListing();
if (lvwProperties.Items.Count > 0)
lvwProperties.Items[0].Selected = true;
}
}
void ShowListing()
{
XmlDocument docProperties = new XmlDocument();
string strFilename = @"C:\Altair Realtors\properties.xml";
if (File.Exists(strFilename))
{
lvwProperties.Items.Clear();
docProperties.Load(strFilename);
XmlElement elmProperty = docProperties.DocumentElement;
XmlNodeList lstProperties = elmProperty.GetElementsByTagName("Property");
XmlNodeList lstPropertyTypes = elmProperty.GetElementsByTagName("PropertyType");
XmlNodeList lstLocations = elmProperty.GetElementsByTagName("Location");
XmlNodeList lstStories = elmProperty.GetElementsByTagName("Stories");
XmlNodeList lstBedrooms = elmProperty.GetElementsByTagName("Bedrooms");
XmlNodeList lstBathrooms = elmProperty.GetElementsByTagName("Bathrooms");
XmlNodeList lstMarketValues = elmProperty.GetElementsByTagName("MarketValue");
for (int i = 0; i < lstProperties.Count; i++ )
{
ListViewItem lviProperty = new ListViewItem((i + 1).ToString());
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(lstProperties[i].Attributes[0].InnerText); // Property Code
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(lstPropertyTypes[i].InnerText); // Property Type
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(lstPropertyTypes[i].Attributes[1].InnerText); // Property Condition
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(lstLocations[i].InnerText);
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(lstStories[i].InnerText);
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(lstBedrooms[i].InnerText);
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(lstBathrooms[i].InnerText);
lviProperty.SubItems.Add(lstMarketValues[i].InnerText);
lvwProperties.Items.Add(lviProperty);
}
txtDescription.Text = lstProperties[0]["Description"].InnerText;
}
}
private void AltairRealtor_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
ShowListing();
if( lvwProperties.Items.Count > 0 )
lvwProperties.Items[0].Selected = true;
}
private void btnClose_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Close();
}
private void lvwProperties_SelectedIndexChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if ((lvwProperties.SelectedItems.Count == 0) ||
(lvwProperties.SelectedItems.Count > 1))
return;
string strPropertyCode = lvwProperties.SelectedItems[0].SubItems[1].Text;
// Make a list of the picture files
string strDirectory = @"C:\Altair Realtors";
DirectoryInfo dirProperties = new DirectoryInfo(strDirectory);
FileInfo[] PictureFiles = dirProperties.GetFiles();
// Look for a file that holds the same name as the item number
foreach (FileInfo fle in PictureFiles)
{
// Get the name of the file without its extension
string fwe = Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(fle.FullName);
if (fwe == strPropertyCode)
pbxProperty.Image = Image.FromFile(strDirectory +
"\\" + strPropertyCode + fle.Extension);
}
XmlDocument docProperties = new XmlDocument();
string strFilename = @"C:\Altair Realtors\properties.xml";
if (File.Exists(strFilename))
{
docProperties.Load(strFilename);
XmlElement elmProperty = docProperties.DocumentElement;
XmlNodeList lstProperties = elmProperty.GetElementsByTagName("Property");
for (int i = 0; i < lstProperties.Count; i++ )
{
if (lstProperties[i].Attributes[0].InnerText == strPropertyCode)
txtDescription.Text = lstProperties[i]["Description"].InnerText;
}
}
}
}
}Except for comments, the parser is used to "scan" the whole XML file to analyze it. Every tag is then interpreted. As we mentioned already, the value of each tag can be displayed in a browser between its opening and its closing tag, and the browser uses different font styles to make a distinction. When creating some tags and some sections of the file, you may want the parser to consider those particular tags and sections as regular text. That is, you may want the parser to treat a certain tag and its value as if it were regular text even though it is created as an XML file.
To prevent the parser from interpreting a tag regularly but to treat that tag and its value as regular text, you can create it in a CDATA section. To do this, create a section that starts with <![CDATA[, followed by anything you want, and ending with ]]>. The formula used is:
<![CDATA[ Blah Blah Blah ]]>
Between <![CDATA[ and ]]>, you can type anything, including one or more normal XML tags. Here is an example:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <!-- In this collection, we will keep each title "as is" --> <videos> <![CDATA[<VdoColl>Collection of Videos</VdoColl>]]> <video> <title>The Distinguished Gentleman</title> <director>Jonathan Lynn</director> <length>112 Minutes</length> <format>DVD</format> <rating>R</rating> </video> <video> <title>Her Alibi</title> <director>Bruce Beresford</director> <length>94 Mins</length> <format>DVD</format> <rating>PG-13</rating> </video> </videos>
The .NET Framework supports the creation of a CDATA section through the XmlCDataSection class. This class is equipped with a Name property that allows you t retrieve the name of a CDATA section in an XmlDocument object.
To programmatically create a CDATA section, you can call the XmlDocument.CreateCDataSection() method. Its syntax is:
public virtual XmlCDataSection CreateCDataSection(string data);