Problem in XML parsing ";" (semicolon) char

[the_bis]

Hi,
I have a problem with XML library (Qt DOM class).
My XML result file is like:

<!DOCTYPE myConfigFile>
<myFileSettings>
 <option key="key_name" value="key_value" />
</myFileSettings>

<!DOCTYPE myConfigFile>
<myFileSettings>
 <option key="key_name" value="key_value" />
</myFileSettings>

To copy to clipboard, switch view to plain text mode 

How can I handle a value like "key_value1;key_value2;key_value3" ?
Now if I use the semicolon char ";" I obtain a wrong XML file...

Thanks for the help,
the_bis

[wysota]

How about just changing the structure?
<option key="key_name">key_value1;key_value2;...</option>

Anyway I don't see a problem why the original idea shouldn't work... What is the exact problem you're facing?

[the_bis]

How about just changing the structure?
<option key="key_name">key_value1;key_value2;...</option>

I have to mantain this structure

Anyway I don't see a problem why the original idea shouldn't work... What is the exact problem you're facing?

I have to read a user input with a QLineEdit (this is a remote command to launch via SSH). If I receive a string like "key1;key2;" this is the generated XML file:

<!DOCTYPE myConfigFile>
<myFileSettings>
 <option key="connection name" value="MyServer" />
 <option key="remote command" value="key1

<!DOCTYPE myConfigFile>
<myFileSettings>
 <option key="connection name" value="MyServer" />
 <option key="remote command" value="key1

To copy to clipboard, switch view to plain text mode 

The file doesn't end correctly: it ends after the first ";" and I have a wrong formatted XML file

Any help?
Thanks,
the_bis

[wysota]

I have to read a user input with a QLineEdit (this is a remote command to launch via SSH).

In that case I even stronger suggest to use my suggestion and even wrap everything in a CDATA section. If you don't do that, you're asking for trouble. The user can enter virtually anything as a command (including characters ">", "<" which can't be part of attribute values). So either you encode the data (either in some completely mangled form or using SGML entities) in attribute values or you have to use CDATA.

[the_bis]

In that case I even stronger suggest to use my suggestion and even wrap everything in a CDATA section. If you don't do that, you're asking for trouble. The user can enter virtually anything as a command (including characters ">", "<" which can't be part of attribute values). So either you encode the data (either in some completely mangled form or using SGML entities) in attribute values or you have to use CDATA.

I'm trying to solve the problem encoding special chars that can have troubles:

• ; -> [MY_SEMICOLON]
• " -> [MY_QUOTE]
• & -> [MY_AMPERSEND]
• > -> [MY_MORETHAN]
• < -> [MY_LESSTHAN]

I hope this is enough
the_bis

[wysota]

It'd be really easier if you changed the structure.
And if you want to encode, I suggest this:
& => &amp;
" => &quot;
> => &gt;
< => &lt;
' => &apos;

Also encode every character with ascii value greater than 127 as &xxx; where xxx is the hex value of the ascii value. If you don't, you're likely to run into problems with encoding.

The semicolon should be fine by itself... I don't know why it doesn't work for you.

[wysota]

Could you try running this application?

#include <qdom.h>
#include <qstring.h>
 
 
int main(){
  QDomDocument doc;
  QDomElement root = doc.createElement("root");
  doc.appendChild(root);
  QDomElement elem = doc.createElement("test");
  elem.setAttribute("arg", "value1;value2;value3");
  root.appendChild(elem);
  qDebug("%s", doc.toString().ascii());
 
  return 0;
}

#include <qdom.h>
#include <qstring.h>


int main(){
  QDomDocument doc;
  QDomElement root = doc.createElement("root");
  doc.appendChild(root);
  QDomElement elem = doc.createElement("test");
  elem.setAttribute("arg", "value1;value2;value3");
  root.appendChild(elem);
  qDebug("%s", doc.toString().ascii());

  return 0;
}

To copy to clipboard, switch view to plain text mode 

It works for me without problems, so if semicolons are causing you trouble, the problem is within your code and not Qt.

[the_bis]

Could you try running this application?

Yes, it works also for me!

Sorry sorry sorry: the error was in another place of my source code...

Thank you again for your help and to let me to understand that also my XML code was right,
the_bis