VBScript XML DOM (MSXML)

last modified April 4, 2025

VBScript can work with XML documents using Microsoft XML Core Services (MSXML). This tutorial covers the XML DOM objects and methods available in MSXML. You'll learn how to parse, create, and manipulate XML documents in VBScript with practical examples.

XML DOM Overview

The XML Document Object Model (DOM) provides a programming interface for XML documents. MSXML is Microsoft's implementation of the XML DOM. It allows you to load, parse, modify, and save XML documents programmatically.

Key objects in MSXML include DOMDocument, IXMLDOMNode, IXMLDOMNodeList, and IXMLDOMElement. These objects provide methods to navigate and manipulate XML documents. We'll explore each with examples in the following sections.

Loading and Parsing an XML File

This example demonstrates how to load and parse an XML file using MSXML. The DOMDocument object is used to load the XML file. We then traverse the document to display its contents.

Dim xmlDoc, root, books, book
Set xmlDoc = CreateObject("MSXML2.DOMDocument.6.0")
xmlDoc.async = False
xmlDoc.load("books.xml")

If xmlDoc.parseError.errorCode <> 0 Then
    WScript.Echo "Error loading XML: " & xmlDoc.parseError.reason
    WScript.Quit
End If

Set root = xmlDoc.documentElement
Set books = root.getElementsByTagName("book")

For Each book In books
    WScript.Echo "Title: " & book.getAttribute("title")
    WScript.Echo "Author: " & book.getAttribute("author")
Next

This script loads an XML file named books.xml. It checks for parsing errors using the parseError object. Then it retrieves all book elements and displays their title and author attributes. The async property is set to false for synchronous loading.

Creating a New XML Document

This example shows how to create a new XML document from scratch. We'll use the DOMDocument object and its methods to create elements and attributes. The resulting XML will be saved to a file.

Dim xmlDoc, root, employee, name, position
Set xmlDoc = CreateObject("MSXML2.DOMDocument.6.0")

' Create processing instruction and root element
xmlDoc.appendChild xmlDoc.createProcessingInstruction("xml", "version='1.0'")
Set root = xmlDoc.createElement("employees")
xmlDoc.appendChild root

' Create employee element
Set employee = xmlDoc.createElement("employee")
root.appendChild employee

' Add attributes to employee
employee.setAttribute "id", "1001"

' Create child elements
Set name = xmlDoc.createElement("name")
name.text = "John Smith"
employee.appendChild name

Set position = xmlDoc.createElement("position")
position.text = "Software Developer"
employee.appendChild position

' Save to file
xmlDoc.save "employees.xml"
WScript.Echo "XML document created successfully"

This script creates a new XML document with employee data. It starts with the XML declaration, creates a root element, and adds child elements with text content. Finally, it saves the document to a file. Each step demonstrates different DOM methods for building XML structures.

Modifying an Existing XML Document

This example demonstrates how to modify an existing XML document. We'll load an XML file, make changes to its content, and save the modified version. The example shows adding, updating, and removing nodes.

Dim xmlDoc, root, books, newBook
Set xmlDoc = CreateObject("MSXML2.DOMDocument.6.0")
xmlDoc.async = False
xmlDoc.load("books.xml")

If xmlDoc.parseError.errorCode <> 0 Then
    WScript.Echo "Error loading XML: " & xmlDoc.parseError.reason
    WScript.Quit
End If

Set root = xmlDoc.documentElement
Set books = root.getElementsByTagName("book")

' Update first book's title
If books.length > 0 Then
    books(0).setAttribute "title", "Updated Title"
End If

' Add a new book
Set newBook = xmlDoc.createElement("book")
newBook.setAttribute "title", "New Book"
newBook.setAttribute "author", "New Author"
root.appendChild newBook

' Remove the last book
If books.length > 1 Then
    root.removeChild books(books.length - 1)
End If

' Save changes
xmlDoc.save "books_modified.xml"
WScript.Echo "XML document modified successfully"

This script loads an XML file, updates an existing book's title, adds a new book, and removes the last book. It demonstrates common modification operations using DOM methods. The changes are then saved to a new file, preserving the original.

Searching XML with XPath

XPath is a powerful query language for selecting nodes in an XML document. This example shows how to use XPath expressions with MSXML to find specific nodes. We'll search for books by a particular author.

Dim xmlDoc, nodeList, node
Set xmlDoc = CreateObject("MSXML2.DOMDocument.6.0")
xmlDoc.async = False
xmlDoc.load("books.xml")

If xmlDoc.parseError.errorCode <> 0 Then
    WScript.Echo "Error loading XML: " & xmlDoc.parseError.reason
    WScript.Quit
End If

' Set selection language to XPath
xmlDoc.setProperty "SelectionLanguage", "XPath"

' Find books by specific author
Set nodeList = xmlDoc.selectNodes("//book[@author='J.R.R. Tolkien']")

If nodeList.length > 0 Then
    WScript.Echo "Found " & nodeList.length & " books by J.R.R. Tolkien:"
    For Each node In nodeList
        WScript.Echo "- " & node.getAttribute("title")
    Next
Else
    WScript.Echo "No books found by J.R.R. Tolkien"
End If

This script uses XPath to search for books by a specific author. The selectNodes method executes the XPath query, returning a node list. We then iterate through the results. XPath provides flexible querying capabilities beyond simple element name searches.

Handling XML Namespaces

XML namespaces prevent element name conflicts in complex documents. This example demonstrates how to work with namespaced XML in VBScript. We'll load a document with namespaces and access its elements.

Dim xmlDoc, root, ns, products, product
Set xmlDoc = CreateObject("MSXML2.DOMDocument.6.0")
xmlDoc.async = False
xmlDoc.load("products.xml")

If xmlDoc.parseError.errorCode <> 0 Then
    WScript.Echo "Error loading XML: " & xmlDoc.parseError.reason
    WScript.Quit
End If

' Set up namespace manager
Set ns = CreateObject("MSXML2.IXMLDOMSchemaCollection")
xmlDoc.setProperty "SelectionNamespaces", "xmlns:p='http://example.com/products'"

' Access elements with namespace prefix
Set root = xmlDoc.documentElement
Set products = xmlDoc.selectNodes("//p:product")

WScript.Echo "Found " & products.length & " products:"
For Each product In products
    WScript.Echo "ID: " & product.getAttribute("id") & _
                 ", Name: " & product.selectSingleNode("p:name").text
Next

This script handles an XML document with namespaces. We use the SelectionNamespaces property to declare namespace prefixes. The XPath queries then use these prefixes to access namespaced elements. This approach is essential for working with standardized XML formats like SOAP or XHTML.

Source

MSXML Documentation

In this article, we have explored the fundamentals of working with XML in VBScript using MSXML. From loading and parsing to creating and modifying XML documents, these examples provide a solid foundation. With these techniques, you can integrate XML processing into your VBScript automation tasks effectively.

Author

My name is Jan Bodnar and I am a passionate programmer with many years of programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. So far, I have written over 1400 articles and 8 e-books. I have over eight years of experience in teaching programming.

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