php get xml from remote url not a file

Question

I am trying to get the xml data from this url.

http://cloud.tfl.gov.uk/TrackerNet/PredictionSummary/V I can enter the url directly into my browser bar and get the required result.

I am trying to use the code below to fetch the xml and return it to my browser but now in the correct domain so it can be accessed by javascript.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <link type='text/css' rel='stylesheet' href='style.css'/>
    <title>Get Started!</title>
</head>
<body>
    <p><?php 
    /*echo file_get_contents("http://cloud.tfl.gov.uk/TrackerNet/PredictionSummary/V");*/
    echo simplexml_load_file("http://cloud.tfl.gov.uk/TrackerNet/PredictionSummary/V");
    ?></p>
</body>
</html>

I have tried both file_get_contents and simplexml_load_file but neither have worked out

I had assumed the problem was with the fact that there is not a file at the end of url. NONE OF BELOW WORKING SO FAR

Your syntax is wrong. I suggest you read php.net/manual/en/function.echo.php — Amal
– Amal, Commented Sep 13, 2013 at 13:26
Ahh my mistake a left over from the other things I have tried. I have corrected the syntax and it still doesn't work — Peter Saxton
– Peter Saxton, Commented Sep 13, 2013 at 13:29
@PeterSaxton: if you're trying to display the XML document in your browser, then simply use file_get_contents. echo file_get_contents("http://cloud.tfl.gov.uk/TrackerNet/PredictionSummary/V"); — Amal
– Amal, Commented Sep 13, 2013 at 13:30
unless I've missed something that's what I have tried to no avail — Peter Saxton
– Peter Saxton, Commented Sep 13, 2013 at 13:32

George Brighton · Accepted Answer · 2013-09-13 13:32:57Z

7

simplexml_load_file() returns an object rather than the XML string. Even then, with your current code, the XML would be lost within HTML. The following would be equivalent to visiting the URL directly:

header('Content-type: application/xml');
echo file_get_contents('http://cloud.tfl.gov.uk/TrackerNet/PredictionSummary/V');

To make sure you can parse the XML, try this. It loads the XML and prints out the name of the root node - in this case, ROOT:

$xml = simplexml_load_file($url); //retrieve URL and parse XML content
echo $xml->getName(); // output name of root element

Does this help?

answered Sep 13, 2013 at 13:32

George Brighton

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8 Comments

Peter Saxton Over a year ago

I had assumed that return the xml even lost in the html would be visible even if just as a messy string. I just want to have confirmation that the xml is correctly loaded into my php script and the easiest way to do that would be to see it

George Brighton Over a year ago

So my first code sample, in a PHP file of its own, doesn't display anything at your end?

George Brighton Over a year ago

In php.ini, is the allow_url_fopen directive set to On?

Peter Saxton Over a year ago

I am looking but have yet to find the php.ini file

George Brighton Over a year ago

What OS is PHP running on (Windows, Ubuntu etc.)?

|

x29a · Accepted Answer · 2013-09-13 13:29:48Z

2

See the documentation for

http://php.net/manual/en/simplexml_load_file

for an example to print the output

<?php
    $xml = simplexml_load_file('http://cloud.tfl.gov.uk/TrackerNet/PredictionSummary/V');
    print_r($xml);
?>

or check the manual

http://php.net/manual/en/function.echo.php

to output the string return by file_get_contents()

<?php
    $xml = file_get_contents("http://cloud.tfl.gov.uk/TrackerNet/PredictionSummary/V");
    echo $xml;
?>

answered Sep 13, 2013 at 13:29

x29a

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3 Comments

x29a Over a year ago

Can you elaborate on whats not working? Look with wireshark (or your browsers dev tools) which data gets over the net. Maybe they are looking for browser specific requests on that page?

Peter Saxton Over a year ago

I just end up with a blank page. Have tested in IE and chrome. In chrome when I press F12(is that developer tools). and when I inspect the element I can see the paragraph element is empty. When I check the console no error message has occured

Peter Saxton Over a year ago

I am new to serverside scripting and php and have spent several days looking through but when I am faced with a blank screen I am finding it very difficult to trouble shoot. I was hoping for a simple bounce option so I could keep using javascript I know well.

Vyas Reddy · Accepted Answer · 2016-08-16 13:28:29Z

0

Try This ... Worked for me..simple and easy ..

<?php
 $url=file_get_contents('http://www.w3schools.com/php/note.xml');
 $xml = new SimpleXMLElement($url);

 echo $xml->to;

 ?>

answered Aug 16, 2016 at 13:28

Vyas Reddy

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