What are the advantages and disadvantages of using simplexml_load_file versus DOMDocument for XML parsing in PHP?

When parsing XML in PHP, simplexml_load_file is simpler to use and has a more intuitive syntax, making it easier for beginners to work with XML data. However, simplexml_load_file may not be as powerful or flexible as DOMDocument, which offers more control and functionality for manipulating XML documents. 

// Using simplexml_load_file for XML parsing
$xml = simplexml_load_file('example.xml');
foreach ($xml->book as $book) {
    echo $book->title . "<br>";
}

// Using DOMDocument for XML parsing
$doc = new DOMDocument();
$doc->load('example.xml');
$books = $doc->getElementsByTagName('book');
foreach ($books as $book) {
    $titles = $book->getElementsByTagName('title');
    $title = $titles->item(0)->nodeValue;
    echo $title . "<br>";
}

Keywords

simplexml_load_file DOMDocument XML parsing advantages disadvantages

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