# XML question **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [August 16, 2006, 12:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/xml-question/65081 "2006-08-16T00:27:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![masonkessinger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/4da419/32.png) [@masonkessinger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/masonkessinger)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 12:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/xml-question/65081/1 "2006-08-16T00:27:08Z")
Is there a way you can use RoR to create an .xml file? Say I had a DB full of info that I wanted to format and have export as “lorem.xml” inside of a specific directory in my web server? Then, each time I updated the DB it would re-export the file (delete the old, save the new?) ---
**Author:** ![masonkessinger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/4da419/32.png) [@masonkessinger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/masonkessinger)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 2:31am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/xml-question/65081/2 "2006-08-16T02:31:11Z")
Hi Mason, ---
**Author:** ![masonkessinger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/4da419/32.png) [@masonkessinger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/masonkessinger)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 4:36pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/xml-question/65081/3 "2006-08-16T16:36:41Z")
Bill, I found how i could generate an .xml file on the fly with .rxml, much like i can generate an .html file with .rhtml. While this will create the file I need, it only exists momentarily and then dissapears leaving me with only a .rxml once the RoR actions are done. What I would like to do is have the .xml export to a separate location so that it can be used by another application. The RoR is there to act as an CRUD for the XML info. I want my client to be able to add/edit/delete items from its XML file. Is it possible to set up the .xml file to save in a specified directory once the .rxml pieces it together into a .xml? thanks, mk ---
**Author:** ![masonkessinger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/4da419/32.png) [@masonkessinger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/masonkessinger)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 2:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/xml-question/65081/4 "2006-08-16T02:46:11Z")
Bill W. fat-fingered: > Hi Mason, > > Mason K. wrote: > > > Is there a way you can use RoR to create an .xml file? There are several options. The choice depends mainly on the complexity of what you’re trying to do. Builder and REXML will do 98% of anything you’d want to do and they’re both part of the standard distro. HTH, Bill ---
**Author:** ![masonkessinger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/4da419/32.png) [@masonkessinger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/masonkessinger)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/xml-question/65081/5 "2006-08-16T16:56:37Z")
Mason, Don’t forget that ActiveRecord objects have a .to\_xml method that will output xml. You can then write that out to a file if necessary. -Anthony ---
**Author:** ![masonkessinger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/4da419/32.png) [@masonkessinger](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/masonkessinger)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2006, 7:06pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/xml-question/65081/6 "2006-08-16T19:06:33Z")
Mason K. wrote: > I found how i could generate an .xml file on the fly > with .rxml, much like i can generate an .html file with > .rhtml. > > While this will create the file I need, it only exists > momentarily and then dissapears leaving me with > only a .rxml once the RoR actions are done. What > I would like to do is have the .xml export to a separate > location so that it can be used by another application. One option, if you’re sure you just want to save what you’re already rendering, might be to render\_to\_string and then save that to a .xml file. Might be worth a shot, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t work for one reason or another. > The RoR is there to act as an CRUD for the XML info. > I want my client to be able to add/edit/delete items from > its XML file. To make sure I read this right… you don’t mean you want to edit the XML file natively do you? If so, I think that would be pretty far outside the sweet-spot for RoR. If I understand what you mean by "RoR is there to act as… ", then you’re probably thinking along the lines of what I’m doing. My RoR app captures data from the visitor into MySQL (in my case). When they want to save the data they’ve entered, I use Builder to create an XML file from the data stored in MySQL. If they want to update an existing file, I use REXML to bring the data stored in the XML file (back) into MySQL, etc… That is pretty much dead center of the RoR sweet spot wrt XML, IMO. > Is it possible to set up the .xml file to save in a specified > directory once the .rxml pieces it together into a .xml? Independent of how you get there, you’re going to end up just doing a routine file save. Nothing magic there. hth, Bill