PHP strings concatenation

Question

My code cycles through a CSV file, converting it to XML:

<?php
for ($i = 1; $i < $arraySize; $i++) {
    $n = 0;
    if (substr($csv[$i][0], 0, 1) == $let) {
        $surName = $dom->createElement('name');
        $name = $csv[$i][0];
        $nameText = $dom->createTextNode($name);
        $surName->appendChild($nameText);

        $text = str_replace(chr(94), ",", $csv[$i][4]);
        $n = $i + 1;
        $next = $csv[$n][0];

        while ($next == 'NULL') {
            $repl = str_replace(chr(94), ",",  $csv[$n][4]);
            $text = $repl;

            $n++;
            $next = $csv[$n][0];
        }
        $bio = $dom->createElement('bio');
        $bioText = $dom->createTextNode($text);
        $bio->appendChild($bioText);
        $person = $dom->createElement('person');
        $person->appendChild($surName);
        $person->appendChild($bio);
        $people->appendChild($person);
    }
}
$xmlString = $dom->saveXML();
echo $xmlString; 
?>

The problem is the $text = $repl; Typing $text .= $repl; brings:

error on line 1 at column 1: Document is empty.

but omitting the . just gives the last line of text. the backup code works: public function test($let){ $csv = $this->readCSV("data\AlphaIndex1M.csv"); $arraySize=sizeof($csv); $let = strtoupper($let); //echo ''; for($i=1; $i echo $csv[$i][0];// .' echo ', -->'.$csv[$i][4]; $n = $i+1; $next = $csv[$n][0]; //if($next == 'NULL'){ } while($next == 'NULL'){ echo $csv[$n][4]. " "; $n++; $next=$csv[$n][0]; } //echo '' echo ''; } } //echo '' }

Try to initialize $text first like: $text = "" (Not in the loop) — Rizier123
– Rizier123, Commented Dec 2, 2014 at 16:36
looks like something else is going on and the code sample is not complete. shouldn't it be while ($next != NULL) {} or better !is_null($next)? If you have a jagged CSV, it looks like there could be errors due to the hard coding (like for index [4]). Also: are you sure the csv is valid for parsing, that data is not presented here. — zanlok
– zanlok, Commented Dec 3, 2014 at 0:53
I thought of this, so I went to excel and replaced blank cells with "Null", and ',' with '^'; ex: ADAMS #221,ADAMS #221,Somersetshire^ England,1640,John ADAMS b/d Somersetshire Eng; m. Agnes ___. [per Savage: John^ a tailor^ was in Newbury^ MA^ by 1640.] NULL,SQUIRE,Braintree,,Henry ADAMS b. Somerset^ Eng. abt 1583; orig. proprietor of Braintree; m. Eng.^ 1609^ Edith SQUIRE; d. Braintree 1646. Ancestor of Pres. John Adams. NULL,,Braintree^ Medfield,,Edward ADAMS of Medfield^ b. Kingweston/Somerset^ Eng. 1629; m. 1652 in MA^ Lydia PENNIMAN. — Lynn
– Lynn, Commented Dec 3, 2014 at 2:57

Rizier123 · Accepted Answer · 2014-12-02 16:43:02Z

2

You have to initialize your $text before you can append stuff!

So write this before you use it:

$test = "";

(before the while loop or even before the for loop if you want all to be appended)

answered Dec 2, 2014 at 16:43

Rizier123

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4 Comments

Lynn Over a year ago

Nope, get This page contains the following errors: error on line 2 at column 1: Extra content at the end of the document

Lynn Over a year ago

My stupid, stupid mistake for not initializing the $text variable. Please vote for my question so that my questioning ban can be lifted, and my education in programming can continue.

Rizier123 Over a year ago

@Lynn I did this already, but you don't ask people to vote up the vote up if they want!

Lynn Over a year ago

Somebody on this site thinks that an algorithm can decide when a person doesn't deserve to ask questions. Just trying to make their AI happy.

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