ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition

XML.toString() Method

This is the Title of the Book, eMatter Edition

Copyright © 2007 O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.

948

|

ActionScript Language Reference

XML.toString() Method

the source code of the XML node, as a string

Flash 5

theNode.toString()

Returns

A string representing the source code of the XML object hierarchy starting at theNode.

Description

The toString() method converts an XML node object or an XML document object to its

analogous XML source code (

theNode can be an XML or XMLnode instance). If theNode is a

top-level XML document object, any

DOCTYPE and XML declaration tags are included in the

string. If the document’s

ignoreWhite property is false, whitespace is preserved and the

document source code appears as it did when it was parsed.

Note that the predefined entities

<, >, &, ", and ' are not converted to

literal characters by toString(). To obtain the text value of a node with entities converted to

literal characters, use

nodeValue. For details, see parseXML().

Normally, it’s not necessary to invoke toString() explicitly; toString() is automatically

invoked any time

theNode is used in a string context.

Example

var myDoc = new XML('<?xml version="1.0"?><!DOCTYPE foo SYSTEM "bar.dtd"><BOOK>

<TITLE>ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide</TITLE>'

+ '<AUTHOR SALUTATION="Mr.">Colin Moock </AUTHOR> '

+ '<PUBLISHER>O\'Reilly & Associates, Inc</PUBLISHER> ...