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How to Parse HTML/XML with PHP and Create an RSS Feed - Example Tutorial

M66 2025-07-12

Overview

PHP is a popular server-side scripting language widely used in web development. In web development, parsing and processing HTML or XML documents is a common task, especially when you need to create an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed. RSS format is an XML-based format used to publish news, blogs, videos, and other content. It can be subscribed to by other websites or applications to receive real-time content updates. In this article, we will demonstrate how to parse HTML/XML documents with PHP and create an RSS feed.

The Importance of Creating an RSS Feed

Creating an RSS feed is critical for content distribution. It allows content to be quickly shared and subscribed to by other platforms or users. Therefore, how to efficiently extract data from HTML or XML files and generate a valid RSS feed is an essential skill for website management and content presentation.

Basic Steps to Parse an HTML Document

Let’s assume we have an HTML document that contains article links, and our goal is to extract those links and create an RSS feed. Below is a simplified HTML example:

<html>
<head>
    <title>My Website</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Latest Articles</h1>
    <ul>
        <li><a href="article1.html">Article 1</a></li>
        <li><a href="article2.html">Article 2</a></li>
        <li><a href="article3.html">Article 3</a></li>
    </ul>
</body>
</html>

Parsing the HTML Document and Extracting Links

To parse this HTML document, we can use PHP's DOM extension. First, we load the HTML document, then extract all tags and retrieve their text content and URLs. The code is as follows:

$dom = new DOMDocument();
$dom->loadHTMLFile('index.html');

$links = $dom->getElementsByTagName('a');

foreach ($links as $link) {
    $title = $link->textContent;
    $url = $link->getAttribute('href');
    // Store $title and $url in RSS feed
}

The above code loops through all tags and uses the textContent method to get the text inside the tags, and the getAttribute method to retrieve the URL. Next, we store these values in the RSS feed.

Creating the RSS Feed

Generating the RSS feed requires creating a valid XML document structure. Below is a simple example that shows how to use the DOMDocument class to create an RSS feed:

$rss = new DOMDocument('1.0', 'UTF-8');
$rss->formatOutput = true;

$feed = $rss->createElement('rss');
$feed->setAttribute('version', '2.0');

$channel = $rss->createElement('channel');
$feed->appendChild($channel);

$title = $rss->createElement('title', 'My Website');
$channel->appendChild($title);

// Add more article titles and URLs
$rss->appendChild($feed);

echo $rss->saveXML();

In this code, we create a root element and set the version attribute to 2.0. Then we create a element and a element, and add them to the RSS structure. After extracting article titles and URLs, we add them to the RSS feed, and use the saveXML method to output the entire XML document.</p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>By using PHP's DOM extension, we can easily parse HTML or XML documents, extract the necessary data, and create an RSS feed in XML format. This RSS feed can be subscribed to by other websites or applications, providing a way to efficiently distribute your content.</p><p>Through the example in this article, you should have a better understanding of how to use PHP to create an RSS feed and apply it in real-world development. I hope this article has been helpful to you!</p> </div> </div> <div class="b_box"> <div class="title_text"><i class="iconfont icon-jiangzhang"></i></div> <ul class="img_text_template"> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="right_box "> <div class="b_box"> <div class="widget_box"> <ul class="yyfl_box"> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="b_box"> <div class="title_text"><i class="iconfont icon-wenzhangguanli"></i>Related</div> <ul class="img_text_template lr"> <li> <span class="img_item"> <img src="/files/images/20250712/202507120743194370.jpg" alt="How to Parse HTML/XML with PHP and Create an RSS Feed - Example Tutorial"> </span> <div class="content"> <a href="/fc349c5be4d975745.html" class="desc link_a"> How to Parse HTML/XML with PHP and Create an RSS Feed - Example Tutorial </a> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </section> <footer class="footer_template"> <div class="w12_box"> <div class="desc"> <div class="f_log"> <a href=""><img src="/images/logo.png" alt="m66.net"></a> </div> <div class="content">Covering practical tips and function usage in major programming languages to help you master core skills and tackle development challenges with ease. </div> <div class="info">Learning programming is so easy - m66.net</div> </div> <dl> <dd> <h3></h3> </dd> <dd> <h3></h3> </dd> </dl> </div> <div class="other"> <p></p> </div> </footer> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-GTCFFYHK8P"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-GTCFFYHK8P'); </script> </body> <script src="/js/jquery.js" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></script> <script src="/js/lazy.js" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></script> <script src="/js/swiper.min.js" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></script> <script src="/js/viewer.js" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></script> <script src="/js/index.js" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></script> <!-- Google tag (gtag.js) --> <script> commonMethod.wz(); function ctrVideo(str){ console.log(str); $(".ytp-play-button").each(function(){ let status = $(this).attr("data-title-no-tooltip"); if(status === "Pause" && status!=str){ console.log("Pause"); $(this).trigger("click"); } }) } window.addEventListener('popstate', function() { ctrVideo(""); }); $(".left_box").on("click",".ytp-large-play-button",function(){ console.log("midddle button") let status = $(".ytp-play-button").attr("data-title-no-tooltip"); ctrVideo(status); }) $(".content_template").on("click",".ytp-play-button",function(){ console.log("play button") let status = $(this).attr("data-title-no-tooltip"); ctrVideo(status); }) </script> </html>