Introduction:

XML (Extensible Markup Language) plays a significant role in data representation and exchange due to its structured and self-descriptive nature. In Python, various libraries make it seamless to convert strings into XML and work with structured data efficiently. In this blog, we will explore multiple methods to convert strings into XML format in Python.

Method 1: Using xml.etree.ElementTree

Python's standard library includes the xml.etree.ElementTree module, which provides a simple way to parse and create XML data. This method is suitable for straightforward XML conversions and works efficiently for small to medium-sized XML documents.

import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET

def convert_to_xml_method1(data_str):
    root = ET.fromstring(data_str)
    return ET.tostring(root, encoding='unicode')

• We begin by importing the xml.etree.ElementTree module.
• The convert_to_xml_method1 function takes a string data_str as input.
• Using ET.fromstring, we parse the input string and create an ElementTree object.
• Finally, ET.tostring is used to convert the ElementTree back to an XML string, which is returned.

Let's test the function with a sample input:

data_str = '<person><name>John Doe</name><age>30</age></person>'
xml_output = convert_to_xml_method1(data_str)
print(xml_output)

Output:

'<person><name>John Doe</name><age>30</age></person>'

Method 2: Using minidom from xml.dom

The xml.dom module provides an alternative approach, especially useful for DOM (Document Object Model) processing. While this method might involve more code than the previous one, it proves beneficial for complex XML conversions and manipulation.

import xml.dom.minidom as minidom

def convert_to_xml_method2(data_str):
    doc = minidom.parseString(data_str)
    return doc.toxml()

• We import the xml.dom.minidom module.
• The convert_to_xml_method2 function takes a string data_str as input.
• We use minidom.parseString to parse the input string and create a Document object.
• doc.toxml() is used to convert the Document object back to an XML string, which is returned.

Let's test the function with a sample input:

data_str = '<book><title>Python Programming</title><author>John Smith</author></book>'
xml_output = convert_to_xml_method2(data_str)
print(xml_output)

Output:

'<book><title>Python Programming</title><author>John Smith</author></book>'

Method 3: Using lxml library

The lxml library is an alternative to Python's standard library for XML processing, providing a more efficient and feature-rich solution.

import lxml.etree as ET

def convert_to_xml_method3(data_str):
    root = ET.XML(data_str)
    return ET.tostring(root, encoding='unicode', pretty_print=True)

• We import the lxml.etree module as ET.
• The convert_to_xml_method3 function takes a string data_str as input.
• We use ET.XML to parse the input string and create an Element object.
• ET.tostring is employed to convert the Element object back to an XML string, which is returned with pretty printing for better readability.

Let's test the function with a sample input:

data_str = '<company><name>ABC Corp</name><location>City X</location></company>'
xml_output = convert_to_xml_method3(data_str)
print(xml_output)

Output:

'<company>\n  <name>ABC Corp</name>\n  <location>City X</location>\n</company>\n'

Conclusion:

In this blog, we explored three different methods to convert strings into XML format using Python. We started with the straightforward xml.etree.ElementTree from the standard library, which is suitable for simple XML conversions. Next, we delved into the xml.dom module and used minidom to handle more complex XML conversions, though it requires slightly more code. Finally, we introduced the lxml library, which offers a feature-rich and efficient solution for working with XML data.