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How to process xml data from server using DataManager and bound to .NET MVC Grid?

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Problem

How to process the XML response from server and bound the result to Grid?

Solution

Essential Javascript DataManager works well with JSON data, but when comes with xml, we need custom adaptor to achieve this requirement. In the custom adaptor, the processResponse has to be overridden to process the xml response from the server.

In the below code snippet, we have extended processResponse method of the ej.UrlAdaptor and in the extended method, the xml data from the server is converted into JSON array. Now it can bound with grid. In the following code, we have performed simple Xml to Json conversion in the function “ConvertToJSON”, which will parse the simple xml document to json, for complex xml parsing, you can use external libraries.

<script>
    function gridLoad(args) {
        this.model.dataSource.adaptor = new xmlAdaptor();
    }
     //for webforms use ej.WebMethodAdaptor
    var xmlAdaptor = new ej.UrlAdaptor().extend({
        //Overriding default processResponse function
        processResponse: function (data, ds, query, xhr, request, changes) {
            return processXML(data);
        }
    });
 
    function processXML(ele) {
        var json = ConvertToJSON(ele);
        return json.Orders.OrderDetails;
    }
    //Function to convert XML document to JSON object
    function ConvertToJSON(ele) {
        var json = {}, e, ch;
        var addItem = function (parent, name, value) {
            if (!parent[name])
                parent[name] = value;
            else {
                if (parent[name].constructor != Array)
                    parent[name] = [parent[name]];
                parent[name][parent[name].length] = value;
            }
        }
 
        for (e = 0, ch = ele.childNodes; e < ch.length; e++) {
            if (ch[e].nodeType == 1) {
                if (ch[e].childNodes.length == 1 && ch[e].firstChild.nodeType == 3)
                    addItem(json, ch[e].nodeName, ch[e].firstChild.nodeValue);
                else if (ch[e].childNodes.length != 0)
                    addItem(json, ch[e].nodeName, ConvertToJSON(ch[e]));
            }
        }
        return json;
    }
 
</script>

 

 

Now let us see, how to use the above custom adaptor (named xmlAdaptor) in the grid. Render the grid and assign the custom adaptor to the grid datasource in the grid Load event.

Grid Initialization

JS

 
<div id="OrdersGrid"></div>
 
<script>
 
    $(function () {
 
        $("#OrdersGrid").ejGrid({
            ej.DataManager({ url: "Home/GetXMLData", dataType: "xml", adaptor: new ej.UrlAdaptor(), offline: true }),
            allowPaging: true,
            columns: [{ field: "OrderID" },
                { field: "CustomerID" },                
                { field: "EmployeeID" },
                { field: "Freight", format:"{0:C2}" },
                { field: "ShipCity" }
            ],
            load: "gridLoad"
        });
 
 
    });
 
</script>
 

 

Razor:

@using Syncfusion.JavaScript.Models
 
 
@(Html.EJ().Grid<OrdersView>("Grid")
    .AllowPaging()
    .Datasource(ds =>
    {
        ds.URL("/Home/UrlDataSource");
        ds.DataType("xml");
        ds.Offline(true);
        ds.Adaptor(AdaptorType.UrlAdaptor);
    })
    .AllowSorting()
    .Columns(col =>
    {
        col.Field("OrderID").Add();
        col.Field("EmployeeID").Add();
        col.Field("Freight").Format("{0:C}").Add();
        col.Field("CustomerID").Add();
        col.Field("ShipCity").Add();
    })
        .ClientSideEvents(events => events.Load("gridLoad"))
)

 

 

 
    public class HomeController : Controller
    {
        public ActionResult Index()
        {
            return View();
        }
        [HttpPost]
        public XDocument UrlDataSource(DataManager dm)
        {
            //mention content type as xml
            Response.ContentType = "text/xml";
            XDocument doc = GetXmlDoc();
            return doc;
        }
    }

 

Webforms:

    <ej:Grid ID="Grid" runat="server" AllowPaging="true" >
        <DataManager URL="Default.aspx/UrlDataSource" Offline="true" DataType="xml" Adaptor="WebMethodAdaptor" />
        <Columns>
            <ej:Column Field="OrderID" />
            <ej:Column Field="EmployeeID" />
            <ej:Column Field="Freight" Format ="{0:C2}"/>
            <ej:Column Field="CustomerID" />
            <ej:Column Field="ShipCity" />
        </Columns>
        <ClientSideEvents Load="gridLoad" />
    </ej:Grid>

 

namespace sqlbinding
{
    public partial class _Default : Page
    { 
        [WebMethod]
        //mention content type as xml
        [ScriptMethod(ResponseFormat = ResponseFormat.Xml)]
        public static string UrlDataSource(DataManager value)
        {
            
            XDocument doc = GetXmlDoc();
            return doc.ToString();
        }
    }
 }

 

Angular 2 with MVC backend

Index.cshtml
 
<ej-app>Loading...</ej-app>
 
grid.component.html
 
<ej-grid [allowPaging]="true" [dataSource]="gridData">
    <e-columns>
        <e-column field="OrderID"></e-column>
        <e-column field="EmployeeID" ></e-column>
        <e-column field="CustomerID" ></e-column>
        <e-column field="Freight" format="{0:C}"></e-column>
        <e-column field="ShipCity"></e-column>
    </e-columns>
</ej-grid>

 

import { Component, OnInit, Input, ElementRef, ViewChild } from '@angular/core';
 
@Component({
    selector: 'ej-app',
    templateUrl: 'src/grid/grid.component.html',
})
export class GridComponent {
    public gridData: any;
    public foreigndata: any;
    public xmlAdaptor: any;
    constructor() {
        this.xmlAdaptor = new ej.UrlAdaptor().extend({
            //Overriding default processResponse function
            processResponse: $.proxy(function (data, ds, query, xhr, request, changes)        {
                return this.processXML(data);
            },this)
        });
        debugger;
        this.gridData = new ej.DataManager({
            url: "../Home/UrlDataSource",
            offline: true,
            dataType: "xml",
            adaptor: new this.xmlAdaptor
        })
    }
    processXML(ele): any {
        var json = this.ConvertToJSON(ele);
        return json["Orders"].OrderDetails;
    }
    //Function to convert XML document to JSON object
    ConvertToJSON(ele) {
        var json = {}, e, ch;
        var addItem = function (parent, name, value) {
            if (!parent[name])
                parent[name] = value;
            else {
                if (parent[name].constructor != Array)
                    parent[name] = [parent[name]];
                parent[name][parent[name].length] = value;
            }
        }
 
        for (e = 0, ch = ele.childNodes; e < ch.length; e++) {
            if (ch[e].nodeType == 1) {
                if (ch[e].childNodes.length == 1 && ch[e].firstChild.nodeType == 3)
                    addItem(json, ch[e].nodeName, ch[e].firstChild.nodeValue);
                else if (ch[e].childNodes.length != 0)
                    addItem(json, ch[e].nodeName, this.ConvertToJSON(ch[e]));
            }
        }
        return json;
    }
}
 

 

namespace Angular2WebApp.Controllers
{
    public class HomeController : Controller
    {
        public ActionResult Index()
        {
            return View();
        }
        [HttpPost]
        public XDocument UrlDataSource(DataManager dm)
        {
            //mention content type as xml
            Response.ContentType = "text/xml";
            XDocument doc = GetXmlDoc();
            return doc;
        }
    }
}

 

Asp.Net core:

<ej-grid id="Grid" allow-paging="true" allow-sorting="true">
    <e-datamanager url="/Home/DataSource" offline="true" data-type="xml" adaptor="UrlAdaptor"/>
    <e-columns>
        <e-column field="OrderID"></e-column>
        <e-column field="EmployeeID"></e-column>
        <e-column field="CustomerID"></e-column>
        <e-column field="Freight" format="{0:C2}"></e-column>
        <e-column field="ShipCity"></e-column>
    </e-columns>
</ej-grid>

 

 
    public class HomeController : Controller
    {
        public ActionResult Index()
        {
            return View();
        }
        [HttpPost]
        public XDocument UrlDataSource(DataManager dm)
        {
            //mention content type as xml
            Response.ContentType = "text/xml";
            XDocument doc = GetXmlDoc();
            return doc;
        }
    }

 

Figure 1. Response from the server as XML

 

Figure 2. Grid with data from XML source

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