# My First Class: extends XML feedback welcome

**URL:** https://forum.kirupa.com/t/my-first-class-extends-xml-feedback-welcome/217880
**Category:** open source
**Created:** [March 2, 2007, 5:45pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/my-first-class-extends-xml-feedback-welcome/217880 "2007-03-02T17:45:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![sixfngers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@sixfngers](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/sixfngers)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2007, 5:45pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/my-first-class-extends-xml-feedback-welcome/217880/1 "2007-03-02T17:45:34Z")

</div>

Very basic but I am new to writing classes.  
comments and suggestions for improvements and advances are always appreciated.

DMC\_XML is an XML loader that automatically makes available the number of children within the XML file for you.

Ideal when using a loop to populate fields from xml files, as the number of children is readily available after the load.

NOTES:  
There is also a static variable that tracks the number of xml instances that have been loaded.  
I am thinking of expanding the class to chain together multiple XML loads.

USAGE:  
simply define a new variable as an instance of DMC\_XML  
var info: DMC\_XML = new DMC\_XML (“map\_info”);

you can then reference the \_xmlLength property to use in a loop that parses your xml.  
var infoL:Number = info.get\_xmlLength()  
for(i=0; i\<=infoL; i++){  
code  
}

```auto

class DMC_XML extends XML {
	//
	// *****private variables*****
	//
	private static var _xmlInstances:Number = 0;
	private var _xmlFileName:String;
	private var _xmlFile:XML;
	private var _xmlLength:Number;
	private var _interval:Number;
	//
	// *****constructor*****
	//
	public function DMC_XML (arg1:String) {
		_xmlInstances++;
		trace ("xml file loading = " + arg1);
		this._xmlFileName = arg1;
		this._xmlFile = new XML ();
		this._xmlFile.ignoreWhite = true;
		this._xmlFile.load ("xml/" + arg1 + ".xml");
		this._interval = setInterval (this, "monitorLoad", 10);
		this._xmlFile.onLoad = function (success) {
			if (success) {
				trace (arg1 + " xml file loaded");
			}
		};
	}
	//
	// *****static methods*****
	//
	static function get_xmlInstances ():Number {
		return _xmlInstances;
	}
	//
	// *****getters & setters*****
	//
	public function get_xmlFileName ():String {
		return this._xmlFileName;
	}
	public function set_xmlFileName (arg1:String):Void {
		this._xmlFileName = arg1;
	}
	public function get_xmlFile ():XML {
		return this._xmlFile;
	}
	public function set_xmlFile (arg1:XML):Void {
		this._xmlFile = arg1;
	}
	public function get_xmlLength ():Number {
		return this._xmlLength;
	}
	public function set_xmlLength (arg1:Number):Void {
		this._xmlLength = arg1;
	}
	//
	// *****methods*****
	//
	public function countChildren ():Void {
		trace ("counting children in " + get_xmlFileName ());
		var file:XML = get_xmlFile ();
		var activeNode:XMLNode = file.firstChild.firstChild;
		var nextNode:XMLNode = activeNode.nextSibling;
		var lastNode:XMLNode = file.firstChild.lastChild;
		var counter:Number = 0;
		do {
			counter++;
			activeNode = nextNode;
			nextNode = activeNode.nextSibling;
		} while (nextNode.nodeName != null);
		set_xmlLength (counter);
		trace ("zero based number of children in " + get_xmlFileName () + " = " + counter);
	}
	//-----------------------------------------------------
	//
	private function monitorLoad () {
		var bLoad:Number = _xmlFile.getBytesLoaded ();
		var bTotal:Number = _xmlFile.getBytesTotal ();
		//trace (bLoad);
		//trace (bTotal);
		if (bLoad > 0 && bLoad == bTotal) {
			countChildren ();
			//trace (_xmlFileName + " monitorLoad interval cleared");
			clearInterval (this._interval);
		}
	}
	//-----------------------------------------------------
	//
}

```