Actionscript Cookbook

19.4. Adding Text Nodes to an XML Object

Problem

You want to add text nodes to an XML object.

Solution

Use the createTextNode( ) and appendChild( ) methods.

Discussion

The createTextNode( ) method is very similar to the createElement( ) method discussed in Recipe 19.3, except that it creates a new text node instead of an XML element. As with the createElement( ) method, the createTextNode( ) method does not insert the node into the XML object hierarchy but returns a reference to the newly created node. You are responsible for inserting the text node into the XML object using the appendChild( ) or insertBefore( ) method.

// Create an XML object.
my_xml = new XML(  );

// Create an element to which to add the text node.
myElement = my_xml.createElement("myFirstElement");

// Create the next node with the value "this is some text".
myTextNode = my_xml.createTextNode("this is some text");

// Add the text node to the element.
myElement.appendChild(myTextNode);

// Add the element to the XML object
my_xml.appendChild(myElement);

// Displays: <myFirstElement>this is some text</myFirstElement>
trace(my_xml);

Generally, text nodes are not of much use in isolation. Remember, XML data is structured. That means that your text nodes should always be nested in XML elements such as the <myFirstElement> node in the preceding example. Therefore, we first create the element using the createElement( ) method (see Recipe 19.3). We then create the text node and assign it a value of “this is some text”—both ...