Parsing an xml file from another website

Rails
1

I’m using getclicky for my site statistics. They have a url I can use
to get the number of users online. I found ways to parse an xml file if
it is local, but how should i do this if is from another link like
http://api.getclicky.com/stats/api3?site_id=37569&sitekey=9b4c03f7c213%20&type=visitors-online&output=xml
?

I’m trying to get the number of users online from the link above.

2

On 21 Feb 2009, at 18:10, Scott K. wrote:

I’m using getclicky for my site statistics. They have a url I can use
to get the number of users online. I found ways to parse an xml
file if
it is local, but how should i do this if is from another link like
http://api.getclicky.com/stats/api3?site_id=37569&sitekey=9b4c03f7c213%20&type=visitors-online&output=xml
?

Well it depends on how you are parsing your xml, but with
REXML::Document all you need to do is get the xml into a string or an
IO object, so for example you could use the net/http library to grab
the data and then stick that into REXML::Document.new

Fred

3

I’ve just recently spent a week learning how to export data using the
Builder::XMLMarkup. In effect I created this object and populated it
with data from my Rails database and sent it flying with a send_data
method.
I’ve been reading how one then imports data and loads this into the
Rails database with ActiveResource (Obie’s book).
Is it something like this;

  1. Create the resource as a model and the route to point to the
    controller action.
  2. This action opens a REXML::Document.new ( which then does these
    three things)
    a. create .new record
    b. newrecord field = REXML::Document.fieldname, etc.
    c. newrecord.save

Does anyone have examples of how they used an external XML file to
import data into a Rails database ( and the routing used)?
Thank you,
David

4

Just a suggestion though, although the REXML api is really nice to use,
I’d start with libxml. The speed difference is large enough to put up
with the api being a little less intuitive.

just my 2cents

Simon