How do I convert a string to XML string

[joe_rattz]

I need to convert a text string ("Dewey & Cheatham & Howe") to an XML encoded string ("Dewey & Cheatham & Howe"). I am not building an XML document, I am just trying to convert a single string. I have looked at the System.Xml namespace, but I can't quite find what I need. XmlTextWriter.WriteString() does the type of encoding I need, but it writes the string. I just want it to return the encoded string.

Can someone tell me the class and method I need?

Thanks.

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[Oleg Tkachenko]

jo*******@genpt.com wrote:

I need to convert a text string ("Dewey & Cheatham & Howe") to an XML encoded string ("Dewey & Cheatham & Howe"). I am not building an XML document, I am just trying to convert a single string. I have looked at the System.Xml namespace, but I can't quite find what I need. XmlTextWriter.WriteString() does the type of encoding I need, but it writes the string. I just want it to return the encoded string.

Can someone tell me the class and method I need?

Well, I'm not aware of any available method unfortunately. But in fact
all you need is to replace & and < chars. They are only chars forbidden
in XML in text, so double String.Replace or some regexp would suffice
your needs:

s.Replace("&", "&amp;").Replace("<", "&lt;")

--
Oleg Tkachenko
http://www.tkachenko.com/blog
Multiconn Technologies, Israel

[Robert Rossney]

"Joe Rattz" <jo*******@genpt.com> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
: I need to convert a text string ("Dewey & Cheatham & Howe") to an XML
: encoded string ("Dewey &amp; Cheatham &amp; Howe"). I am not building an
: XML document, I am just trying to convert a single string. I have looked
: at the System.Xml namespace, but I can't quite find what I need.
: XmlTextWriter.WriteString() does the type of encoding I need, but it
: writes the string. I just want it to return the encoded string.

This will do the trick:

public class XmlEncoder
{
private XmlDocument temp;

public XmlEncoder()
{
temp = new XmlDocument();
temp.LoadXml("<foo/>");
}
public string Encode(string input)
{
temp.DocumentElement.InnerText = input;
return temp.DocumentElement.InnerXml;
}
}

Bob Rossney
rb*@well.com

[Robert Rossney]

"Oleg Tkachenko" <oleg@NO_!SPAM!_PLEASEtkachenko.com> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
: jo*******@genpt.com wrote:
:
: > I need to convert a text string ("Dewey & Cheatham & Howe") to an XML
encoded string ("Dewey &amp; Cheatham &amp; Howe"). I am not building an
XML document, I am just trying to convert a single string. I have looked at
the System.Xml namespace, but I can't quite find what I need.
XmlTextWriter.WriteString() does the type of encoding I need, but it writes
the string. I just want it to return the encoded string.
: >
: > Can someone tell me the class and method I need?
:
: Well, I'm not aware of any available method unfortunately. But in fact
: all you need is to replace & and < chars. They are only chars forbidden
: in XML in text, so double String.Replace or some regexp would suffice
: your needs:
:
: s.Replace("&", "&amp;").Replace("<", "&lt;")

The problem is a little more complicated than this, because it depends on
how the string is to be used.

For text content of an element, yes, just escaping ampersands and less-than
signs will do. For attribute content, escaping single and double quotes may
be necessary. For text in a CDATA section, a greater-than sign must be
escaped if it's preceded by two right brackets (otherwise the "]]>" will be
interpreted as the end of the CDATA section). See
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml#syntax.

Why would anyone want to escape text for XML outside of the context of an
XML document, anyway? This smells like someone solving the wrong problem to
me.

Bob Rossney
rb*@well.com

[joe_rattz]

Sniff ... sniff ... sniff. 8-)


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