What are the recommended methods for iterating through and accessing values within complex XML structures in PHP?

When dealing with complex XML structures in PHP, it is recommended to use the SimpleXMLElement class to parse and iterate through the XML data. This class provides an easy and intuitive way to access elements and attributes within the XML document. By using methods like foreach loops and xpath queries, you can efficiently navigate through the XML structure and retrieve the desired values.

$xmlString = '<root><item><name>Item 1</name><price>10</price></item><item><name>Item 2</name><price>20</price></item></root>';
$xml = new SimpleXMLElement($xmlString);

foreach ($xml->item as $item) {
    echo "Item: " . $item->name . ", Price: " . $item->price . "\n";
}