Javascript picky about XML tag value length?

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April 15th, 2008, 03:51 PM

Ziptnf

Haphazardly programming

Join Date: Nov 2004

Location: Louisville, KY

Posts: 204

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Javascript picky about XML tag value length?

Hey, guys. I'm using Javascript to parse an XML file with some links in it, and just printing it out onto the page. Very simple.

Code:

<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
var xmlDoc;
if(navigator.appName == "Netscape") {
	var xmlDoc = document.implementation.createDocument('','doc',null);
	var objXMLHTTP = new XMLHttpRequest();
	objXMLHTTP.open("GET", "/structure/xmloffers/vacations.xml", false);
	objXMLHTTP.send(null);
	xmlDoc = objXMLHTTP.responseXML;
}
if(navigator.appName == "Microsoft Internet Explorer") {
	xmlDoc = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM");
	xmlDoc.async = "false";
	xmlDoc.load("/structure/xmloffers/vacations.xml");
}
var i = 0;
var url = xmlDoc.getElementsByTagName("url");
for(i = 0; i < url.length; i++) {
	var urlvalue = xmlDoc.getElementsByTagName("urlvalues")[i].childNodes[0].nodeValue;
	var urlname = xmlDoc.getElementsByTagName("urlnames")[i].childNodes[0].nodeValue;
	document.write("<font='arial' size='25px'><a href=" + urlvalue + " target='_blank'>" + urlname + "</a></font><br>");
	}
</script>

The XML file it's parsing looks like this:

Code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<links>
<url>
<urlvalues>'http://www.latesttraveloffers.com/lton/ltonclct.asp?distributorcode=TVWCWT&distributoraccount=TVWCWT&OfferId=1077782&GotoOffer=True'
</urlvalues>
<urlnames>Swim with the dolphins with American Express Vacations!</urlnames>
</url>
(etc etc etc)...
</links>

Not too hard to figure out, right? Pretty straightforward. Basically, the Javascript gets the values in the <urlvalues> and <urlnames> tags and prints them out into a handy little link the user can click. The problem is, the URL in <urlvalues> is apparently too long, because shorter URL's can be parsed, but not ones of that length. For example, "http://google.com" will work, but the one that I have won't. Is anybody aware of this problem? Any help is appreciated.

April 16th, 2008, 07:21 AM

KorRedDevil

Contributing User

Join Date: Aug 2005

Location: Bucharest ROMANIA

Posts: 2,557

Time spent in forums: 4 Weeks 5 h 34 m 26 sec
Reputation Power: 614

The problem is not the length, but the special characters used in that link. In XML normal texts (strings) you should not use plain < > " ' or & characters, as they are interpreted as XML entities.

In XML strings you should replace:

Code:

& with &amp ;
< with &lt ;
> with &gt ;
" with &quot ;
' with &#39 ;

- remove the space before the colon ' ;' . I used that to avoid a literal interpretation in the forum's framework

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Last edited by KorRedDevil : April 16th, 2008 at 07:27 AM.

April 16th, 2008, 07:37 AM

Winters

Super Moderator

Join Date: Jul 2003

Posts: 3,874

Time spent in forums: 1 Month 2 Weeks 1 Day 17 h 24 m 7 sec
Reputation Power: 2569

lol

What KorRedDevil meant was the ascii codes for the symbols but the forums parsed them into the symbols.

& with & #38;
< with & #60;
> with & #62;
" with & #34;
' with & #39;

[EDIT] Ah, you updated when I posted ^^

April 16th, 2008, 10:32 AM

Ziptnf

Haphazardly programming

Join Date: Nov 2004

Location: Louisville, KY

Posts: 204

Time spent in forums: 1 Day 19 h 38 m 29 sec
Reputation Power: 31

Thanks, guys. That did it.

Javascript picky about XML tag value length?

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