# MultiXML [![Build Status](https://secure.travis-ci.org/sferik/multi_xml.png?branch=master)][travis] [![Dependency Status](https://gemnasium.com/sferik/multi_xml.png?travis)][gemnasium]
A generic swappable back-end for XML parsing

[travis]: http://travis-ci.org/sferik/multi_xml
[gemnasium]: https://gemnasium.com/sferik/multi_xml

## <a name="installation"></a>Installation
    gem install multi_xml

## <a name="documentation"></a>Documentation
[http://rdoc.info/gems/multi_xml][documentation]

[documentation]: http://rdoc.info/gems/multi_xml

## <a name="examples"></a>Usage Examples
Lots of Ruby libraries utilize XML parsing in some form, and everyone has their
favorite XML library. In order to best support multiple XML parsers and
libraries, `multi_xml` is a general-purpose swappable XML backend library. You
use it like so:

    require 'multi_xml'

    MultiXml.parser = :ox MultiXml.parser = MultiXml::Parsers::Ox # Same as
    above MultiXml.parse('<tag>This is the contents</tag>') # Parsed using Ox

    MultiXml.parser = :libxml MultiXml.parser = MultiXml::Parsers::Libxml #
    Same as above MultiXml.parse('<tag>This is the contents</tag>') # Parsed
    using LibXML

    MultiXml.parser = :nokogiri MultiXml.parser = MultiXml::Parsers::Nokogiri #
    Same as above MultiXml.parse('<tag>This is the contents</tag>') # Parsed
    using Nokogiri

    MultiXml.parser = :rexml MultiXml.parser = MultiXml::Parsers::Rexml # Same
    as above MultiXml.parse('<tag>This is the contents</tag>') # Parsed using
    REXML

The `parser` setter takes either a symbol or a class (to allow for custom XML
parsers) that responds to `.parse` at the class level.

MultiXML tries to have intelligent defaulting. That is, if you have any of the
supported parsers already loaded, it will utilize them before attempting to
load any. When loading, libraries are ordered by speed: first Ox, then LibXML,
then Nokogiri, and finally REXML.

## <a name="contributing"></a>Contributing
In the spirit of [free software][free-sw] , **everyone** is encouraged to help
improve this project.

[free-sw]: http://www.fsf.org/licensing/essays/free-sw.html

Here are some ways *you* can contribute:

* by using alpha, beta, and prerelease versions
* by reporting bugs
* by suggesting new features
* by writing or editing documentation
* by writing specifications
* by writing code (**no patch is too small**: fix typos, add comments, clean up
  inconsistent whitespace)
* by refactoring code
* by resolving [issues][]
* by reviewing patches

[issues]: https://github.com/sferik/multi_xml/issues

## <a name="issues"></a>Submitting an Issue
We use the [GitHub issue tracker][issues] to track bugs and features. Before
submitting a bug report or feature request, check to make sure it hasn't
already been submitted. You can indicate support for an existing issue by
voting it up. When submitting a bug report, please include a [Gist][] that
includes a stack trace and any details that may be necessary to reproduce the
bug, including your gem version, Ruby version, and operating system. Ideally, a
bug report should include a pull request with failing specs.

[gist]: https://gist.github.com/

## <a name="pulls"></a>Submitting a Pull Request
1. Fork the project.
2. Create a topic branch.
3. Implement your feature or bug fix.
4. Add documentation for your feature or bug fix.
5. Run `bundle exec rake doc:yard`. If your changes are not 100% documented, go
   back to step 4.
6. Add specs for your feature or bug fix.
7. Run `bundle exec rake spec`. If your changes are not 100% covered, go back
   to step 6.
8. Commit and push your changes.
9. Submit a pull request. Please do not include changes to the gemspec,
   version, or history file. (If you want to create your own version for some
   reason, please do so in a separate commit.)

## <a name="versions"></a>Supported Ruby Versions
This library aims to support and is [tested against][travis] the following Ruby
implementations:

* Ruby 1.8.7
* Ruby 1.9.2
* Ruby 1.9.3
* [JRuby][]

[jruby]: http://www.jruby.org/

If something doesn't work on one of these interpreters, it should be considered
a bug.

This library may inadvertently work (or seem to work) on other Ruby
implementations, however support will only be provided for the versions listed
above.

If you would like this library to support another Ruby version, you may
volunteer to be a maintainer. Being a maintainer entails making sure all tests
run and pass on that implementation. When something breaks on your
implementation, you will be personally responsible for providing patches in a
timely fashion. If critical issues for a particular implementation exist at the
time of a major release, support for that Ruby version may be dropped.

## <a name="inspiration"></a>Inspiration
MultiXML was inspired by [MultiJSON][].

[multijson]: https://github.com/intridea/multi_json/

## <a name="copyright"></a>Copyright
Copyright (c) 2010 Erik Michaels-Ober. See [LICENSE][] for details.

[license]: https://github.com/sferik/multi_xml/blob/master/LICENSE.md