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.

load_xml.vbs

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.

create_xml.vbs

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.

modify_xml.vbs

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.

xpath_search.vbs

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.

namespaces.vbs

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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