iPhone - Parsing XML file - Please help!

I need help with parsing a xml file. My problem is I don't know how to implement the didEndElement delegate.

What I want is that I will have 2 cells where Old Testament and New Testament will be displayed and then the Books of the Bible and the the chapters. If I can just get some help with the xml parsing the rest I can manage.

Will be very grateful for any help!

Thanks and regards!

My xml file is as follows:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<bible>
 <testament name="Old Testament">
  <book name="Genesis">
   <chapter id="Genesis 1"></chapter>
   <chapter id="Genesis 2"></chapter>
  </book>
  <book name="Exodus">
   <chapter id="Exodus 1"></chapter>
   <chapter id="Exodus 2"></chapter>
  </book>
 </testament>
 <testament name="New Testament">
  <book name="Matthew">
   <chapter id="Matthew 1"></chapter>
   <chapter id="Matthew 2"></chapter>
  </book>
  <book name="Revelation">
   <chapter id="Revelation 1"></chapter>
   <chapter id="Revelation 2"></chapter>
  </book>
 </testament>
</bible>

//  Bible.h
#import <Foundation/Foundation.h>

@interface Bible : NSObject {
 NSMutableArray *bible;
 NSMutableArray *testament;
 NSMutableArray *book;
 NSString *chapterID;

}

@property (nonatomic, retain)NSMutableArray *bible;
@property (nonatomic, retain)NSMutableArray *testament;
@property (nonatomic, retain)NSMutableArray *book;
@property (nonatomic, retain)NSString *chapterID;

@end

//  Bible.m

#import "Bible.h"


@implementation Bible

@synthesize bible;
@synthesize testament;
@synthesize book;
@synthesize chapterID;

- (void) dealloc {
 [bible release];
 [testament release];
 [book release];
 [chapterID release];
 [super dealloc];
}

@end

//
//  XMLParser.h
//  BibleXML
//

#import <Foundation/Foundation.h>
#import "Bible.h"

@protocol NSXMLParserDelegate;

@class BibleXMLAppDelegate, Bible;

@interface XMLParser : NSObject <NSXMLParserDelegate> {


 NSMutableString *currentElementValue;

 BibleXMLAppDelegate *appDelegate;
 Bible *theBible;

}

- (XMLParser *) initXMLParser;

@end

//
//  XMLParser.m

#import "XMLParser.h"
#import "BibleXMLAppDelegate.h"
#import "Bible.h"


@implementation XMLParser

- (XMLParser *) initXMLParser {

 [super init];

 appDelegate = (BibleXMLAppDelegate *) [[UIApplication sharedApplication] delegate];
 return self;
}

- (void)parserDidStartDocument:(NSXMLParser *)parser{ 
 NSLog(@"found file and started parsing");
}

- (void)parser:(NSXMLParser *)parser didStartElement:(NSString *)elementName
  namespaceURI:(NSString *)namespaceURI qualifiedName:(NSString *)qualifiedName
 attributes:(NSDictionary *)attributeDict {
 if([elementName isEqualToString:@"bible"]) {
  NSLog(@"Found element: %@", elementName);
  appDelegate.bible = [[NSMu开发者_StackOverflow社区tableArray alloc] init];
 }

 else if([elementName isEqualToString:@"testament"]) {

  theBible = [[Bible alloc] init];
  //Extract the attribute here.
  theBible.testament = [attributeDict valueForKey:@"name"];
  NSLog(@"Testament: %@", theBible.testament);
  return;
 }

 else if ([elementName isEqualToString:@"book"])
 {
  theBible.book = [attributeDict valueForKey:@"name"];
  NSLog(@"Book: %@", theBible.book);
  return;
 }

 else if([elementName isEqualToString:@"chapter"]) 
 {
  theBible.chapterID =[attributeDict objectForKey:@"id"];
  NSLog(@"Chapter: %@", theBible.chapterID);
  return;
 } 
}


- (void)parser:(NSXMLParser *)parser foundCharacters:(NSString *)string {

}

- (void)parser:(NSXMLParser *)parser didEndElement:(NSString *)elementName
  namespaceURI:(NSString *)namespaceURI qualifiedName:(NSString *)qName {
 if([elementName isEqualToString:@"bible"]){
   return;
 } 

}


- (void) dealloc {
 [theBible release];
 [currentElementValue release];
 [super dealloc];
}

@end

Following is the output from the debugger console:

2010-12-08 19:53:10.101 BibleXML[25641:207] found file and started parsing
2010-12-08 19:53:10.102 BibleXML[25641:207] Found element: bible
2010-12-08 19:53:10.103 BibleXML[25641:207] Testament: Old Testament
2010-12-08 19:53:10.103 BibleXML[25641:207] Book: Genesis
2010-12-08 19:53:10.104 BibleXML[25641:207] Chapter: Genesis 1
2010-12-08 19:53:10.104 BibleXML[25641:207] Chapter: Genesis 2
2010-12-08 19:53:10.105 BibleXML[25641:207] Book: Exodus
2010-12-08 19:53:10.105 BibleXML[25641:207] Chapter: Exodus 1
2010-12-08 19:53:10.106 BibleXML[25641:207] Chapter: Exodus 2
2010-12-08 19:53:10.107 BibleXML[25641:207] Testament: New Testament
2010-12-08 19:53:10.107 BibleXML[25641:207] Book: Matthew
2010-12-08 19:53:10.108 BibleXML[25641:207] Chapter: Matthew 1
2010-12-08 19:53:10.108 BibleXML[25641:207] Chapter: Matthew 2
2010-12-08 19:53:10.109 BibleXML[25641:207] Book: Revelation
2010-12-08 19:53:10.109 BibleXML[25641:207] Chapter: Revelation 1
2010-12-08 19:53:10.110 BibleXML[25641:207] Chapter: Revelation 2
2010-12-08 19:53:10.110 BibleXML[25641:207] No Errors

You're already parsing it. In the didEndElement: call, just do whatever you want to do with the element. Since your XML doesn't contain any wrapped strings (you're not using foundCharacters:), all you have to do is respond to didStartElement: and didEndElement: accordingly. If you need to capture attributes or allocate a new data structure to hold possible children, do it in didStartElement:. If you need to save off objects into collections or somehow finish processing of a particular element, do it in didEndElement:.

This question isn't really about parsing, it's about whatever logic you want to enact in response to parsing.

Edit in response to comment below:

I typically do the following to save off objects during parsing: in my interface, I declare the collection I need to save objects into and a temporary object that I used to hold whatever data I need to before adding it to the collection, like this

@interface MyClass : NSObject <NSXMLParserDelegate>{
    NSMutableArray *collection_;
    SomeObject *tempObject_;
}
@end

In the implementation I manipulate these two objects, typically in didStartDocument:, didStartElement: and didEndElement:, like so:

- (void)parserDidStartDocument:(NSXMLParser *)parser {
    collection_ = [[NSMutableArray alloc] init];
}

- (void)parser:(NSXMLParser *)parser didStartElement:(NSString *)elementName namespaceURI:(NSString *)namespaceURI qualifiedName:(NSString *)qualifiedName attributes:(NSDictionary *)attributeDict {
    //if your object is tied to a tag that wraps text (delivered in foundCharacters:), initialize it here
    tempObject_ = [[SomeObject alloc] init];
    //maybe you need the attributes....
    tempObject_.someProperty = [attributes objectForKey:@"attribute-name"];
}

- (void)parser:(NSXMLParser *)parser didEndElement:(NSString *)elementName namespaceURI:(NSString *)namespaceURI qualifiedName:(NSString *)qName {
    //when the tag ends, you can save it off into the collection
    [collection_ addObject:tempObject_];
    [tempObject_ release];
    tempObject_ = nil;
}

Then do what you will with the collection object. Make sure you handle memory things, like releasing the collection object or whatever. I usually use something like a delegate callback (of my own devising) to get the collection to the model, in order to logically separate parsing from the model.