NAME

XML::Parser::PerlSAX - Perl SAX parser using XML::Parser

SYNOPSIS

use XML::Parser::PerlSAX;

$parser = XML::Parser::PerlSAX->new( [OPTIONS] );
$result = $parser->parse( [OPTIONS] );

$result = $parser->parse($string);

DESCRIPTION

XML::Parser::PerlSAX is a PerlSAX parser using the XML::Parser module. This man page summarizes the specific options, handlers, and properties supported by XML::Parser::PerlSAX; please refer to the PerlSAX standard in `PerlSAX.pod' for general usage information.

METHODS

new

Creates a new parser object. Default options for parsing, described below, are passed as key-value pairs or as a single hash. Options may be changed directly in the parser object unless stated otherwise. Options passed to `parse()' override the default options in the parser object for the duration of the parse.

parse

Parses a document. Options, described below, are passed as key-value pairs or as a single hash. Options passed to `parse()' override default options in the parser object.

location

Returns the location as a hash:

ColumnNumber    The column number of the parse.
LineNumber      The line number of the parse.
BytePosition    The current byte position of the parse.
PublicId        A string containing the public identifier, or undef
                if none is available.
SystemId        A string containing the system identifier, or undef
                if none is available.
Base            The current value of the base for resolving relative
                URIs.

ALPHA WARNING: The `SystemId' and `PublicId' properties returned are the system and public identifiers of the document passed to `parse()', not the identifiers of the currently parsing external entity. The column, line, and byte positions are of the current entity being parsed.

OPTIONS

The following options are supported by XML::Parser::PerlSAX:

Handler          default handler to receive events
DocumentHandler  handler to receive document events
DTDHandler       handler to receive DTD events
ErrorHandler     handler to receive error events
EntityResolver   handler to resolve entities
Locale           locale to provide localisation for errors
Source           hash containing the input source for parsing

If no handlers are provided then all events will be silently ignored, except for `fatal_error()' which will cause a `die()' to be called after calling `end_document()'.

If a single string argument is passed to the `parse()' method, it is treated as if a `Source' option was given with a `String' parameter.

The `Source' hash may contain the following parameters:

ByteStream       The raw byte stream (file handle) containing the
                 document.
String           A string containing the document.
SystemId         The system identifier (URI) of the document.
PublicId         The public identifier.
Encoding         A string describing the character encoding.

If more than one of `ByteStream', `String', or `SystemId', then preference is given first to `ByteStream', then `String', then `SystemId'.

HANDLERS

The following handlers and properties are supported by XML::Parser::PerlSAX:

DocumentHandler methods

start_document

Receive notification of the beginning of a document.

No properties defined.

end_document

Receive notification of the end of a document.

No properties defined.

start_element

Receive notification of the beginning of an element.

Name             The element type name.
Attributes       A hash containing the attributes attached to the
                 element, if any.

The `Attributes' hash contains only string values.

end_element

Receive notification of the end of an element.

Name             The element type name.

characters

Receive notification of character data.

Data             The characters from the XML document.

processing_instruction

Receive notification of a processing instruction.

Target           The processing instruction target. 
Data             The processing instruction data, if any.

comment

Receive notification of a comment.

Data             The comment data, if any.

DTDHandler methods

notation_decl

Receive notification of a notation declaration event.

Name             The notation name.
PublicId         The notation's public identifier, if any.
SystemId         The notation's system identifier, if any.
Base             The base for resolving a relative URI, if any.

unparsed_entity_decl

Receive notification of an unparsed entity declaration event.

Name             The unparsed entity's name.
SystemId         The entity's system identifier.
PublicId         The entity's public identifier, if any.
Base             The base for resolving a relative URI, if any.

entity_decl

Receive notification of an entity declaration event.

Name             The entity name.
Value            The entity value, if any.
PublicId         The notation's public identifier, if any.
SystemId         The notation's system identifier, if any.
Notation         The notation declared for this entity, if any.

For internal entities, the `Value' parameter will contain the value and the `PublicId', `SystemId', and `Notation' will be undefined. For external entities, the `Value' parameter will be undefined, the `SystemId' parameter will have the system id, the `PublicId' parameter will have the public id if it was provided (it will be undefined otherwise), the `Notation' parameter will contain the notation name for unparsed entities. If this is a parameter entity declaration, then a '%' will be prefixed to the entity name.

Note that `entity_decl()' and `unparsed_entity_decl()' overlap. If both methods are implemented by a handler, then this handler will not be called for unparsed entities.

element_decl

Receive notification of an element declaration event.

Name             The element type name.
Model            The content model as a string.

attlist_decl

Receive notification of an attribute list declaration event.

This handler is called for each attribute in an ATTLIST declaration found in the internal subset. So an ATTLIST declaration that has multiple attributes will generate multiple calls to this handler.

ElementName      The element type name.
AttributeName    The attribute name.
Type             The attribute type.
Fixed            True if this is a fixed attribute.

The default for `Type' is the default value, which will either be "#REQUIRED", "#IMPLIED" or a quoted string (i.e. the returned string will begin and end with a quote character).

doctype_decl

Receive notification of a DOCTYPE declaration event.

Name             The document type name.
SystemId         The document's system identifier.
PublicId         The document's public identifier, if any.
Internal         The internal subset as a string, if any.

Internal will contain all whitespace, comments, processing instructions, and declarations seen in the internal subset. The declarations will be there whether or not they have been processed by another handler (except for unparsed entities processed by the Unparsed handler). However, comments and processing instructions will not appear if they've been processed by their respective handlers.

xml_decl

Receive notification of an XML declaration event.

Version          The version.
Encoding         The encoding string, if any.
Standalone       True, false, or undefined if not declared.

EntityResolver

resolve_entity

Allow the handler to resolve external entities.

Name             The notation name.
SystemId         The notation's system identifier.
PublicId         The notation's public identifier, if any.
Base             The base for resolving a relative URI, if any.

`resolve_entity()' should return undef to request that the parser open a regular URI connection to the system identifier or a hash describing the new input source. This hash has the same properties as the `Source' parameter to `parse()':

PublicId    The public identifier of the external entity being
            referenced, or undef if none was supplied. 
SystemId    The system identifier of the external entity being
            referenced.
String      String containing XML text
ByteStream  An open file handle.
CharacterStream
            An open file handle.
Encoding    The character encoding, if known.

AUTHOR

Ken MacLeod, ken@bitsko.slc.ut.us

SEE ALSO

perl(1), PerlSAX.pod(3)

Extensible Markup Language (XML) <http://www.w3c.org/XML/>
SAX 1.0: The Simple API for XML <http://www.megginson.com/SAX/>