php: SimpleXML Load File Invalid Character Error

Question

I have a php application which -sometimes- fails (depends on what data I load) and gives errors like:

parser error : PCDATA invalid Char value 11
Warning: simplexml_load_file(): ath>/datadrivenbestpractices/Data-driven Best Practices in 
Warning: simplexml_load_file(): ^ in

I am certain that there are some values which are causing the problem. I don't have control over data. I have tried solutions from: Error: "Input is not proper UTF-8, indicate encoding !" using PHP's simplexml_load_string and How to handle invalid unicode with simplexml and How to skip invalid characters in XML file using PHP but they have not helped.

The culprit strings are: 'Data Driven - Best Practices' and 'Data-driven Best Practices to Recruit and Retain Underrepresented Graduate Students May 12, 2011 - 1:30-3:00 p.m., EST' (may be dashes or return characters).

What can I do? Mine is a Windows php test environment but the live environment will be a LAMP one--can 't touch the .ini files.

Thanks.

I think you should show your XML source too.

Kerem
– Kerem

2013-01-22 17:40:46 +00:00
Commented Jan 22, 2013 at 17:40 — Kerem
– Kerem, Commented Jan 22, 2013 at 17:40

Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 10:30:01Z

18

Stripping the invalid chars before parsing would be the easiest fix:

function utf8_for_xml($string)
{
    return preg_replace ('/[^\x{0009}\x{000a}\x{000d}\x{0020}-\x{D7FF}\x{E000}-\x{FFFD}]+/u', ' ', $string);
}

From: PHP generated XML shows invalid Char value 27 message

edited May 23, 2017 at 10:30

CommunityBot

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answered Jan 22, 2013 at 17:04

user1997244

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4 Comments

IrfanClemson Over a year ago

Not sure how this will work in my code: Here is how I load the xml: $xml_apicheck = simplexml_load_file($serveraddress.$myparam)

user1997244 Over a year ago

It should work if you do something like: simplexml_load_string(utf8_for_xml(file_get_contents($serveraddress.$myparam)));

IrfanClemson Over a year ago

okay, I have this: $xml_apicheck = simplexml_load_file(utf8_for_xml(file_get_contents($serveraddress.$myparam))); but am now getting error: action.php on line 100 PHP Notice: Trying to get property of non-object in

IrfanClemson Over a year ago

Problem may be that file_get_contents is not xml anymore?

Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 10:30:01Z

0

Never mind, the answer in: How to skip invalid characters in XML file using PHP did work. Here is my code:

stream_filter_register('xmlutf8', 'ValidUTF8XMLFilter');

class ValidUTF8XMLFilter extends php_user_filter
{
    protected static $pattern = '/[^\x{0009}\x{000a}\x{000d}\x{0020}-\x{D7FF}\x{E000}-\x{FFFD}]+/u';

    function filter($in, $out, &$consumed, $closing)
    {
        while ($bucket = stream_bucket_make_writeable($in)) {
            $bucket->data = preg_replace(self::$pattern, '', $bucket->data);
            $consumed += $bucket->datalen;
            stream_bucket_append($out, $bucket);
        }
        return PSFS_PASS_ON;
    }
}

$doc = simplexml_load_file("php://filter/read=xmlutf8/resource=".$serveraddress.$myparam);

edited May 23, 2017 at 10:30

CommunityBot

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answered Jan 22, 2013 at 18:11

IrfanClemson

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