Скачать или смотреть How to Validate XML Files in Python

Learn how to efficiently validate XML files in Python, ensuring the structure is correct. This guide covers code examples and explanations for beginners.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/70044397/ asked by the user 'Ashok Anumula' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/14482378/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/70044556/ provided by the user 'Zar Ashouri' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/9039096/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: XML validation using python

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
How to Validate XML Files in Python: A Simple Guide

When working with XML files, it's crucial to ensure that the structure is correct—this means every starting tag must have a corresponding closing tag, and all tags must be properly formatted. If you're new to Python and XML, you might wonder how to validate an XML file programmatically. Thankfully, Python provides some handy libraries that make this task easier. In this guide, we will demonstrate how to validate an XML file with Python and check if it’s correctly formatted or not.

The Problem: Understanding XML Validation

XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is a markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. A fundamental aspect of XML is its structure. Here are key points to remember regarding structure:

Each opening tag must have a corresponding closing tag.

Tags must be properly nested.

Certain characters like <, >, and / must be appropriately placed within the document.

If the XML file does not adhere to these rules, we classify it as “not good.” The aim of this guide is to write a Python script that will check an XML file and determine if it meets the criteria for validity.

Solution: Validating XML with Python

Using ElementTree

One of the easiest ways to validate an XML document in Python is to utilize the built-in xml.etree.ElementTree module. This module allows you to parse XML documents and raises errors when the structure is incorrect.

Step-by-Step Implementation

Install Required Libraries: You don’t need to install any additional libraries since ElementTree is included with Python. Just ensure you are using a compatible version of Python (e.g., Python 3.x).

Writing the Validation Code: Below is a simple code snippet that demonstrates how to validate an XML file named s.xml.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation of the Code

Importing Libraries: We import ElementTree for parsing and ParseError to handle any exceptions that arise during parsing.

Try-Except Block: This block attempts to parse the XML file. If the parsing succeeds, it means the XML structure is valid, and it will print "XML is good". If there’s an issue (like a missing tag or incorrect formatting), it will catch the ParseError and print "XML is not good".

Testing the Code

To test the code, create a sample XML file called s.xml with the following content:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Run the Python script you wrote, and if everything is set up correctly, you should see the output indicating whether the XML is valid or not.

Conclusion

Validating XML files in Python doesn't have to be daunting. With just a few lines of code using the ElementTree module, you can ensure that your XML documents are properly structured and formatted. This not only saves you from potential errors but also enhances your capability as a developer in managing XML data.

Now you’re equipped with a fundamental approach to XML validation in Python—go ahead and apply these practices in your next project!