CONVERTING XML TO JSON WITH CONFIGURABLE OUTPUT

• US 20140244692A1
• Filed: 02/27/2013
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: WILLIAMSON, Victor L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,639,631 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/791
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/81 Indexing, e.g. XML tags; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/83 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/221 Parsing markup language streams streaming G06F40/149

Abstract

A device is configured to receive information that identifies an XML data structure, an input key including information that identifies an element in the XML data structure, and an output key including information that identifies a manner in which the element is to be identified in a JSON data structure. The device is configured to parse the XML data structure to determine an element identified by the input key, and generate the JSON data structure by storing an association between the element and the output key in the JSON data structure. The device is configured to populate the JSON data structure with content from the XML data structure, where the content is identified by the input key and is placed in a location in the JSON data structure identified by the output key. The device is configured to store the JSON data structure.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

one or more processors to;

receive information that identifies an input key, an output key, and an extensible markup language (XML) data structure,

the input key including information that identifies an element in the XML data structure,

the output key including information that identifies a manner in which the element is to be identified in a JavaScript object notation (JSON) data structure;

parse the XML data structure to determine the element identified by the input key;

generate the JSON data structure by storing an association between the element and the output key in the JSON data structure;

populate the JSON data structure with content from the XML data structure,

the content being identified by the input key and being placed in a location in the JSON data structure identified by the output key; and

store the JSON data structure.

2. The device of claim 1, where the input key includes an XML tag identifying a start or an end of the element.

3. The device of claim 1, where the element includes at least one of:

a start tag;

an end tag;

an empty element tag;

or

XML content identified by the start tag or the end tag.

4. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when receiving information that identifies the input key and the output key, are further to:

receive information that identifies a first hierarchal structure associated with the XML data structure,

receive information that identifies a second hierarchal structure associated with the JSON data structure, where the second hierarchal structure differs from the first hierarchal structure, and

populate the JSON data structure based on the second hierarchal structure.

5. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

receive information that identifies an expected element type associated with the input key;

compare an element type of the element to the expected element type to form a comparison result; and

populate the JSON data structure based on the comparison result.

6. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when parsing the XML data structure to determine the element identified by the input key, and when generating the JSON data structure by storing an association between the element and the output key, are further to:

parse the XML data structure one element at a time, and

store the association between the element and the output key as the XML data structure is parsed.

7. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when generating the JSON data structure by storing an association between the element and the output key, are further to:

store the association between the element and the output key in an intermediate map, the intermediate map including;

the input key,

a type associated with the element, the type indicating whether the element is an object, a literal, a word, a number, a string, a list, or an array, and

the output key; and

generate the JSON data structure based on the intermediate map.

8. A computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive information that identifies an input key, an output key, and an extensible markup language (XML) data structure,

the input key including information that identifies an element in the XML data structure,

the output key including information that identifies a manner in which the element is to be identified in a JavaScript object notation (JSON) data structure;

parse the XML data structure to determine content identified by the input key;

populate the JSON data structure, in a location identified by the output key, with the content; and

store the JSON data structure.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the input key includes an XML tag identifying a start or an end of the element.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the element includes at least one of:

a start tag;

an end tag;

an empty element tag;

or

XML content identified by the start tag or the end tag.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to receive information that identifies the input key and the output key, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive information that identifies a first hierarchal structure associated with the XML data structure,

receive information that identifies a second hierarchal structure associated with the JSON data structure, where the second hierarchal structure differs from the first hierarchal structure, and

populate the JSON data structure based on the second hierarchal structure.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

receive information that identifies an expected element type associated with the input key;

compare an element type of the element to the expected element type to form a comparison result; and

populate the JSON data structure based on the comparison result.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to parse the XML data structure to determine an association between the element and the output key, further cause the one or more processors to:

parse the XML data structure one element at a time, and

store an association between the element and the output key as the XML data structure is parsed.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to parse the XML data structure, further cause the one or more processors to:

store an association between the element and the output key in an intermediate map, the intermediate map including;

the input key,

a type associated with the element, the type indicating whether the element is an object, a literal, a word, a number, a string, a list, or an array,

the output key, and

generate the JSON data structure based on the intermediate map.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a device, information that identifies an input key, an output key, and an extensible markup language (XML) data structure,

the input key including information that identifies an element in the XML data structure,

the output key including information that identifies a manner in which the element is to be identified in a JavaScript object notation (JSON) data structure;

parsing, by the device, the XML data structure to determine the element identified by the input key;

creating, by the device, the JSON data structure, including hierarchical elements created based on the input key and the output key;

populating, by the device, the JSON data structure with content from the XML data structure, the content being identified by the input key and being placed in a location in the JSON data structure identified by the output key; and

storing, by the device, the JSON data structure.

16. The method of claim 15, where the input key includes an XML tag identifying a start or an end of the element.

17. The method of claim 15, where the element includes at least one of:

a start tag;

an end tag;

an empty element tag;

or

XML content identified by the start tag or the end tag.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving information that identifies an expected element type associated with the input key;

comparing an element type of the element to the expected element type to form a comparison result; and

populating the JSON data structure based on the comparison result.

19. The method of claim 15, where parsing the XML data structure and creating the JSON data structure further comprise:

parsing the XML data structure one element at a time; and

creating the JSON data structure as the XML data structure is parsed.

20. The method of claim 15, where creating the JSON data structure further comprises:

storing an association between the element and the output key in an intermediate map, the intermediate map including;

the input key,

a type associated with the element, the type indicating whether the element is an object, a literal, a word, a number, a string, a list, or an array, and

the output key; and

populating the JSON data structure based on the intermediate map.