Using XML data in article

[jenWWWD]

Hoping someone here will be able to point me in the right direction.

I have some external XML data that is updated regularly and hosted on a separate site. I want to be able to use that XML data in my website. It is just raw XML, no styling etc. Do I need to create a new component or module to be able to read that data and output it to an article or is there something in the Extensions Directory that may save me some time. I've looked, but the more I look the more confused I become!

I am relatively new to Joomla, but can code PHP and javascript.

Thanks
Jennie

[jbuzzeo]

Assuming you're using your own schema for the XML, I would think that you would probably have to create your own extension to handle reading in the data and generating the output. Since you're familiar with PHP this shouldn't be too difficult a task. It's basically an RSS feed you just need to customize it to your schema.

If, however, you're using the standard schema for an RSS or Atom feed then you can use the Joomla Core module for displaying a feed. If you're using another predefined schema, there's a chance you may find an existing component for it.

[jenWWWD]

Thanks very much jbuzzeo. That has set me in the right direction. It is a custom schema, so I will need to build an extension. I've started work on the PHP - easiest thing first - and then I'll work out what's the best way to get that into Joomla.

[jbuzzeo]

Happy to help,

Others on here may have a better way to do it, but I often take the same approach. When working on a client's site I will do the development straight away in order to reduce the billable hours for the project, but when I want something specific for my own site, I will usually build out a static php file (either in the template or in a custom HTML module) and then convert it into a custom extension after I have the output I'm looking for.

I find it much easier to create the output dynamically when I know ahead of time what it needs to look like