How read plist file with XMLDocument class?

General
1

Hello,
I’m looking to read information (here in asterisks) from my plist file using the XMLDocument class. Can you help me pls?

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
  <key>**Application #1**</key>
  <dict>
    <key>Path</key>
    <string>**/Applications/Plan.app**</string>
    <key>Visible</key>
    <**true/**>
  </dict>
  <key>Application #2</key>
  <dict>
    <key>Path</key>
    <string>/Applications/TexEdit.app</string>
    <key>Visible</key>
    <true/>
  </dict>
</dict>
</plist>
2

I would NOT recommend using the XML class to read plist files, as plist can be in a variety of formats.

I am sure that I’ve made a feature request somewhere for Xojo to support Apple’s native dictionary serialization. But since I made the feature request, it’ll probably never get added.

It can be done with declares, a sheet-ton of declares or I bet the plugin vendors have a plugin you can buy for it.

I’m sure that there are other workarounds floating around that I don’t know about it.

3

I had a crack at this but wasted an hour and a half , getting nowhere.
The main problem, to me, is that its a valid but crazy format, where different kinds of things have the same key name.

You cant just XQL for for example … you get Application1 and Visible
To me, Visible and Path are attributes of Application 1

You could brute force this file by reading sequentially from the top down,
finding Application row - then reading until you get a Visible row, then reading the visible state,
then changing the Application on the next one and so on.
That assumes that Application as a word appears as the first part of a group.
If it is actually an app name that can be a different form each time, like Banana, it wouldn’t even work like that.

4

Have a look at Monkeybread Xojo plugin - CFPreferencesMBS class .

2 Likes
5

Thanks @Jeff_Tullin,
So, what do you suggest as the ideal structure of the plist to memorize these 3 pieces of information (program name, program path and visibility status)?

6

To me?
Attributes. But you don’t have that choice because the format ‘exists’ and you cant amend it.

If I was storing it?


<apps>
<app  appname="Banana" path="path_to_app" visible="true" />
<app  appname="Finder" path="path_to_app" visible="false" />
<app  appname="Calc" path="path_to_app" visible="false" />
</apps>

XQL gets you an XMLnodelist of all apps
Loop through them, and ask each whether visible or not


mylist = somenode.XQL("//app") 
For i  as integer = 0 To mylist.Length-1
  localappname = mylist.Item(i).GetAttribute("appname")
  localvisible  = mylist.Item(i).GetAttribute("visible")
next
7

pList Class for RealBasic by MacCrafters. Old, but still works great, at least with API1.

https://www.pragmaticdesigns.com/plist%202.2.zip

4 Likes
8

Also NewCFObjectMBSFromXML function in MBS Xojo MacCF Plugin can read plist in either text or binary format.

9

For my own learning, is this CFObject method better than CFDictionaryMBS.dictionaryWithContentsOfFile?

10

Yes. I’ve used it for many years. The developer was Floyd Resler. A few years ago I found him on LinkedIn.

Over the years, I’ve updated it a couple of times. While still in the RB days, I had to convert EditField references to TextFields, etc. And (sigh), I eventually bit the bullet and converted it to API2.

1 Like
11

Wow, I’ve long wondered who “MacCrafters” was, thanks!

Yes, me too. Added methods for things like appending a dict to another dict, additional constructors (including one where you can pass nil for the target folderitem and it’ll give you a new pList with just headers), a toDictionary method, etc. Also I needed to change all instances of “Chr(13)” to EndofLine.MacOS for some reason, it was long ago…

12

No, this is just a shortcut to make a dictionary.

13

I’ve had no problems, but I should take a look at that, too. I don’t remember that one. :slight_smile: