Powershell: Convert XML to String

Question

I am searching for a way to convert a XML-Object to string.

Is there a way like $xml.toString() in Powershell?

score 67 · Accepted Answer · edited May 20 '15 at 08:32

67

You are probably looking for OuterXml.

$xml.OuterXml should give you what you want.

edited May 20 '15 at 08:32

Prutswonder

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answered Mar 14 '13 at 13:29

Stanley De Boer

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This worked for me too. The only problem is I lose the whitespace formatting in the transition. Any ideas on how I can either preserve or add nice tab formatting? – AllTradesJack Dec 08 '16 at 22:05
3

Try `$xml.PreserveWhiteSpace = $true` – ghigad Apr 20 '17 at 18:41

score 9 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 14 '13 at 13:27

9

How are you creating the XML object?

Typically, if you want an XML string from an object, you'd use:

$object | ConvertTo-Xml -As String

answered Mar 14 '13 at 13:27

mjolinor

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I start the XML-Object this way: [XML]$xml = ''; While the script is running i append a lot of information to this object. At the end i need this XML-File to be a string, just like '' – uprix Mar 14 '13 at 13:29
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If you need it to be a string, don't make it XML. Start with a here-string, and append to that. – mjolinor Mar 14 '13 at 13:47

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Nov 07 '19 at 09:39

Try this:

[string[]]$text = $doc.OuterXml #or use Get-Content to read an XML File
$data = New-Object System.Collections.ArrayList
[void] $data.Add($text -join "`n")
$tmpDoc = New-Object System.Xml.XmlDataDocument
$tmpDoc.LoadXml($data -join "`n")
$sw = New-Object System.IO.StringWriter
$writer = New-Object System.Xml.XmlTextWriter($sw)
$writer.Formatting = [System.Xml.Formatting]::Indented
$tmpDoc.WriteContentTo($writer)
$sw.ToString()

I used this script to write my generated XML into a TextBox in Windows Forms.

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Jul 26 '21 at 06:04

A simpler version:

[string]$outputString = $XmlObject.childNode.childNode.theElementValueIWant.ToString()

Xml path is whatever your source XML tree structure is from the $XmlObject.

So if your $XmlObject is:

<xmlRoot>
  <firstLevel>
    <secondLevel>
      <iWantThisValue>THE STRING I SEEK</iWantThisValue>
    </secondLevel>
  </firstLevel>
</xmlRoot>

you would use:

[string]$outputString = $XmlObject.firstLevel.secondLevel.iWantThisValue.ToString()

score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Mar 29 '22 at 14:53

Since PowerShell 7+, there is a very simple way to pretty-print XML using XElement:

$xmlNode = [xml] '<foo x="42" y="21"><bar>baz</bar></foo>'
[System.Xml.Linq.XElement]::Parse( $xmlNode.OuterXml ).ToString()

Output:

<foo x="42" y="21">
  <bar>baz</bar>
</foo>

As the original poster of the C# answer wrote, it's not the most efficient way in terms of memory usage and execution time. Also you don't get much control over the formatting, e. g. I didn't find a way to print attributes on new lines. If these things are important to you, the StringWriter solution would be more appropriate.

Powershell: Convert XML to String

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