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XML.Import

Imports XML and creates tables, fields and records.

Component Version macOS Windows Linux Server iOS SDK
XML 5.3 ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
MBS( "XML.Import"; XML { ; InsertFileName; TableNamePrefix; Flags } )   More

Parameters

Parameter Description Example Flags
XML The XML data to import.
InsertFileName The file name of where the insert table is inside. Get(FileName) Optional
TableNamePrefix The prefix to put in front of all tables. "Import" Optional
Flags Sum of flags.
Add 1 to ignore errors in xml and continue parsing.
Add 2 to ignore outer XML wrapper nodes.
Add 4 to import flat, so no subtables for included nodes.
Add 8 to convert CDATA to text nodes. CData should contain ASCII or UTF-8 text!
Add 16 to trim values.
Add 128 to skip table creation (since v12.3).
Add 256 to skip field creation (since v12.3).
Add 512 to ignore duplicate errors for FileMaker's validation (since v13.5).
Add 1024 to not create UUID fields (since v13.5).		 0 Optional

Result

Returns number or error.

Description

Imports XML and creates tables, fields and records.
This function can import any XML into FileMaker tables with all fields and attributes.
Returns number of records to be added. This function prefers the import and runs it later at idle time. In a script please call XML.Import and then loop and do script pauses. Then use XML.Import.Status to check regularly for updates. When you get back Finished as status, the script can continue with other work.

If you have a XML file you need to import regularly into FileMaker and you have no XSLT to transform it for FileMaker, you can use this plugin function. On the first run, it creates for a sample xml file the required tables and fields. Then you can define any layout or script to process values, e.g. copy into your tables. On further runs the plugin may add more fields (if newer xml file has more fields) and import newer records.

All tables have three default fields. _RecordUUID is a unique identifier for the record. _ParentRecordUUID provides a link to the record one level higher in the XML. This can be used to find child/parent records. The _CreationTimeStamp is the creation date, so you can distinguish different imports.

As a lot of records with a lot of data is imported and you may not need everything, you may want to put the imports in an extra FileMaker file. You decide if you clear tables before import or you want to keep history of all imports.

If the XML has errors like a missing < in the xml, you get an error. If you switch on IgnoreError parameter, the plugin reads everything until the error is reached which may give less records than possible.

This function works at idle time which is not supported on server. But you can use the function XML.Import.Work to perform the work instead of the idle handler. This enables importing of data, but not table/field creation.

Requires FileMaker 12 or newer.
See also XML.Import.SetBaseFields and XML.Import.SetExtraField.

We use SQL to create records, so you can check FM.ExecuteSQL.LastErrorMessage and FM.ExecuteSQL.LastSQL after the import for SQL errors.

Please wait for an import to finish before calling JSON.Import or XML.Import again since it will cancel the last import and start a new one.
Import fails if a table or field name matches a reserved word in FileMaker like RowId. Please rename entries if needed.

Since v13.5 you can explicit ask the plugin to not create UUID fields with the flag value 1024. Be aware, that this prevents us from giving you structural data like which child record belongs to which parent. But your import data may already have primary keys for this. Add flag 512 to ignore duplicate errors in FileMaker's field validation. This is useful if you mark some field as unique in FileMaker with always validation and import the same data again.

Examples

Imports test.xml into FileMaker:

Set Variable [$text; Value:MBS("Text.ReadTextFile"; "/Users/cs/Desktop/test.xml"; "UTF-8")]
Set Variable [$r; Value:MBS("XML.Import"; $text; ""; "")]
Set Variable [$text; Value:""]
If [MBS("IsError") = 0]
    Set Variable [$total; Value:MBS("XML.Import.Total")]
    Loop
        Set Variable [$todo; Value:MBS("XML.Import.Todo")]
        Pause/Resume Script [Duration (seconds): 1]
        Set Variable [$s; Value:MBS("XML.Import.Status")]
        Exit Loop If [$s ≠ "Working"]
    End Loop
    Show Custom Dialog ["XML Import"; $r & " " & $s]
End If

Import script with progress bar for importing XML with Windows ANSI encoding:

Go to Layout [“XML Import” (Import2Row)]
Delete All Records [No dialog]
Set Variable [$r; Value:MBS("ProgressDialog.SetBottomText"; "")]
Set Variable [$r; Value:MBS("ProgressDialog.SetTopText"; "Importiere XML")]
Set Variable [$r; Value:MBS("ProgressDialog.SetTitle"; "Import...")]
Set Variable [$r; Value:MBS("ProgressDialog.SetButtonCaption"; "Abbrechen")]
Set Variable [$r; Value:MBS("ProgressDialog.SetProgress"; -1)]
Set Variable [$r; Value:MBS("ProgressDialog.Show")]
Pause/Resume Script [Duration (seconds): ,1]
Set Variable [$text; Value:MBS("Text.ReadTextFile"; "/Users/cs/Desktop/test.xml"; "Windows")]
Set Variable [$r; Value:MBS("XML.Import"; $text; ""; "Import2")]
Set Variable [$text; Value:""]
If [MBS("IsError") = 0]
    Set Variable [$total; Value:MBS("XML.Import.Total")]
    Loop
        Set Variable [$todo; Value:MBS("XML.Import.Todo")]
        Set Variable [$r; Value:MBS("ProgressDialog.SetProgress"; ($total - $todo) * 100 / $total)]
        Set Variable [$r; Value:MBS("ProgressDialog.SetBottomText"; "Schritt " & ($total - $todo) & " von " & $total)]
        Pause/Resume Script [Duration (seconds): 1]
        Set Variable [$s; Value:MBS("XML.Import.Status")]
        Exit Loop If [$s ≠ "Working"]
        If [MBS("ProgressDialog.GetCancel") = 1]
            Set Variable [$r; Value:MBS("ProgressDialog.Hide")]
            Set Variable [$r; Value:MBS("XML.Import.Cancel")]
            Exit Script []
        End If
    End Loop
    Set Variable [$r; Value:MBS("ProgressDialog.Hide")]
    Show Custom Dialog ["XML Import"; $r & " " & $s]
End If
Set Variable [$r; Value:MBS("ProgressDialog.Hide")]

Read Database Design Report:

#read XML from file in UTF-16
Set Variable [$text; Value:MBS("Text.ReadTextFile"; "/Users/cs/Desktop/test.xml"; "UTF-16")]
# now remove the UTF-16 encoding marker
Set Variable [$text; Value:Substitute($text; "<?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-16\"?>"; "")]
#read XML from file
Set Variable [$r; Value:MBS("XML.Import"; $text; ""; "Import")]

Explicit import with passing database filename:

MBS("XML.Import"; $text; Get(FileName); "Import")

See also

Release notes

Example Databases

Blog Entries

This function checks for a license.

Created 8th September 2015, last changed 27th October 2023


XML.HasAttribute - XML.Import.Cancel