XML::DOM::Document FOR LINUX

XML::DOM::Document is pretty much the main player when it comes to XML documents in the XML::DOM world. Think of it as the root of your XML document structure, just waiting for you to dive in. It’s created by tools like XML::DOM::Parser::parse and XML::DOM::Parser::parsefile.

Understanding Document Structure

This Document interface is crucial because things like elements, text nodes, comments, and processing instructions can’t exist without it. Basically, it’s like a factory that helps you create these objects easily! And every Node object that gets created has a handy getOwnerDocument method. This links them back to the Document they belong to.

Main Methods You’ll Use

getDocumentElement: This method gives you quick access to the child node that acts as the root Element of your document.

getDoctype: Curious about your Document Type Declaration? This method lets you check it out! But if you're working with HTML or XML documents without one, it'll just return undef. By the way, in DOM Level 1, editing this declaration isn’t supported.

Not In DOM Spec: If you want to edit that doctype anyway, our implementation allows that! Check out XML::DOM::ignoreReadOnly.

Create Elements and Nodes

createElement(tagName): Want to whip up an element? Just use this method with your desired tag name! The returned instance supports attributes directly on it.

Create Text or Comment Nodes

• createTextNode(data): Makes a text node from a string.


• createComment(data): Creates a comment node from a string.


• createCDATASection(data): Generates a CDATASection node from a string.

Clever Attribute Management

Create Attributes:

• createAttribute(name [, value [, specified ]): Use this to create an attribute with a given name. You can even set its value right there!


• Please note:The standard DOM spec doesn’t let you pass value or specified property here – but we do!

Error Handling with DOMExceptions

A quick heads-up: If you mess up tag names or attributes with invalid characters, you’ll hit an error called INVALID_CHARACTER_ERR. Keep an eye out for that!