<?php
$data = <<<XML //定义 XML数据
<?xml version='1.0′?>
<departs>
<depart>
<name>production support</name>
<employees>
<employee>
<serial_no>100001</serial_no>
<name>Simon</name>
<age>24</age>
<birthday>1982-11-06</birthday>
<salary>5000.00</salary>
<bonus>1000.00</bonus>
</employee>
<employee>
<serial_no>100002</serial_no>
<name>Elaine</name>
<age>24</age>
<birthday>1982-01-01</birthday>
<salary>6000.00</salary>
<bonus>2000.00</bonus>
</employee>
</employees>
</depart>
<depart>
<name>testing center</name>
<employees>
<employee>
<serial_no>110001</serial_no>
<name>Helen</name>
<age>23</age>
<birthday>1983-07-21</birthday>
<salary>5000.00</salary>
<bonus>1000.00</bonus>
</employee>
</employees>
</depart>
</departs>
XML;
$xml = simplexml_load_string($data); //创建 SimpleXML对象
print_r($xml); //输出 XML
?>
在上面的例子中，$data变量存储了一段 XML数据。 simplexml_load_string函数将变量$data转化成 SimpleXML对象。通过 print_r函数的输出可以看出该对象的结构，运行结果如下所示。
SimpleXMLElement Object
(
[depart] => Array
(
[0] => SimpleXMLElement Object
(
[name] => production support
[employees] => SimpleXMLElement Object
( [employee] => Array (
[0] => SimpleXMLElement Object
( [serial_no] => 100001
[name] => Simon
[age] => 24
[birthday] => 1982-11-06
[salary] => 5000.00
[bonus] => 1000.00
)
[1] => SimpleXMLElement Object
( [serial_no] => 100002
[name] => Elaine
[age] => 24
[birthday] => 1982-01-01
[salary] => 6000.00
[bonus] => 2000.00
)
)
)
)
[1] => SimpleXMLElement Object
(
[name] => testing center
[employees] => SimpleXMLElement Object
(
[employee] => SimpleXMLElement Object
(
[serial_no] => 110001
[name] => Helen
[age] => 23
[birthday] => 1983-07-21
[salary] => 5000.00
[bonus] => 1000.00
)
)
)
)
)
从输出结果可以看出，SimpleXML对象的结构与 XML数据的格式完全相同。
第二种方法是使用 simplexml_load_flie函数读取一个 XML文件来完成创建的，其语法格式如下所示。
