xmljson

A Python library that converts XML into JSON/Python dictionaries and vice-versa, supporting 6 different XML-to-JSON conventions including BadgerFish, Abdera, Cobra, GData, Parker, and Yahoo. It handles bidirectional conversion between XML structures and Python data structures with customizable parsing behaviors.

Package Information

• Package Name: xmljson
• Language: Python
• Installation: pip install xmljson

Core Imports

import xmljson

Import specific classes:

from xmljson import BadgerFish, Parker, GData, Yahoo, Abdera, Cobra

Import pre-configured instances:

from xmljson import badgerfish, parker, gdata, yahoo, abdera, cobra

Basic Usage

from xmljson import badgerfish as bf
from xml.etree.ElementTree import fromstring, tostring
import json

# XML to data conversion
xml_string = '<p id="main">Hello<b>bold</b></p>'
xml_element = fromstring(xml_string)
data = bf.data(xml_element)
print(json.dumps(data))
# Output: {"p": {"@id": "main", "$": "Hello", "b": {"$": "bold"}}}

# Data to XML conversion
data = {'p': {'@id': 'main', '$': 'Hello', 'b': 'bold'}}
xml_elements = bf.etree(data)
print(tostring(xml_elements[0]).decode())
# Output: <p id="main">Hello<b>bold</b></p>

Architecture

xmljson uses a base XMLData class that defines the core conversion framework, with specialized subclasses implementing different XML-to-JSON conventions:

• XMLData: Base class providing etree() and data() methods with configurable options
• Convention Classes: Specialized implementations (BadgerFish, Parker, etc.) with preset configurations
• Pre-configured Instances: Module-level instances for convenience

The design allows for:

• Customizable string parsing and type conversion
• Flexible dictionary and list constructors (OrderedDict, custom types)
• Configurable handling of XML attributes, text content, and invalid tags
• Support for both xml.etree and lxml backends

Capabilities

BadgerFish Convention

XML conversion using BadgerFish convention with @ prefix for attributes and $ for text content. This convention is widely supported and provides a clean JSON representation of XML structures.

class BadgerFish(XMLData):
    def __init__(self, **kwargs): ...

def etree(self, data, root=None): ...
def data(self, root): ...

BadgerFish Convention

Parker Convention

XML conversion using Parker convention with tail nodes for text content and ignoring attributes. Produces the most compact JSON representation by omitting attribute information.

class Parker(XMLData):
    def __init__(self, **kwargs): ...

def etree(self, data, root=None): ...
def data(self, root, preserve_root=False): ...

Parker Convention

GData Convention

XML conversion using GData convention with $t for text content and attributes added as-is. This convention is used by Google's GData APIs.

class GData(XMLData):
    def __init__(self, **kwargs): ...

def etree(self, data, root=None): ...
def data(self, root): ...

GData Convention

Yahoo Convention

XML conversion using Yahoo convention with 'content' for text and no automatic string parsing. Values remain as strings unless explicitly converted.

class Yahoo(XMLData):
    def __init__(self, **kwargs): ...

def etree(self, data, root=None): ...
def data(self, root): ...

Yahoo Convention

Abdera Convention

XML conversion using Abdera convention with 'attributes' and 'children' keys for structured XML representation.

class Abdera(XMLData):
    def __init__(self, **kwargs): ...

def etree(self, data, root=None): ...
def data(self, root): ...

Abdera Convention

Cobra Convention

XML conversion using Cobra convention with sorted attributes and string-only values. This convention ensures consistent attribute ordering and string type preservation.

class Cobra(XMLData):
    def __init__(self, **kwargs): ...

def etree(self, data, root=None): ...
def data(self, root): ...

Cobra Convention

Command Line Interface

XML to JSON conversion via command line tool supporting all conventions with customizable input/output files.

def main(*test_args): ...
def parse_args(args=None, in_file=sys.stdin, out_file=sys.stdout): ...

Command Line Interface

Pre-configured Instances

abdera: Abdera
badgerfish: BadgerFish  
cobra: Cobra
gdata: GData
parker: Parker
yahoo: Yahoo

These module-level instances provide immediate access to conversion functionality without needing to instantiate classes.

Module Constants

__author__: str
__email__: str  
__version__: str

Module metadata constants providing package information:

• __author__: Package author name ('S Anand')
• __email__: Author email address ('root.node@gmail.com')
• __version__: Current package version ('0.2.0')

Types

class XMLData:
    def __init__(
        self,
        xml_fromstring=True,
        xml_tostring=True, 
        element=None,
        dict_type=None,
        list_type=None,
        attr_prefix=None,
        text_content=None,
        simple_text=False,
        invalid_tags=None
    ): ...
    
    def etree(self, data, root=None): ...
    def data(self, root): ...