XmlDocument::ImportNode Method (XmlNode^, Boolean)
Imports a node from another document to the current document.
Assembly: System.Xml (in System.Xml.dll)
Parameters
- node
-
Type:
System.Xml::XmlNode^
The node being imported.
- deep
-
Type:
System::Boolean
true to perform a deep clone; otherwise, false.
| Exception | Condition |
|---|---|
| InvalidOperationException | Calling this method on a node type which cannot be imported. |
The returned node has no parent. The source node is not altered or removed from the original document; ImportNode creates a copy of the source node.
Importing a node creates an XmlNode object owned by the importing document, with Name and NodeType identical to the source node. The new object also has the attributes related to namespaces (Prefix, LocalName, and NamespaceURI).
Depending on the node type of the imported node and the value of the deep parameter, additional information is copied as appropriate. This method attempts to mirror the behavior expected if a fragment of XML or HTML source was copied from one document to another (recognizing that, in the XML case, the two documents could have different DTDs).
The following table describes the specific behavior for each XmlNodeType.
XmlNodeType | ImportNode(true) | ImportNode(false) |
|---|---|---|
Attribute | The Specified property is set to true on the generated XmlAttribute. The descendants of the source XmlAttribute are recursively imported and the resulting nodes reassembled to form the corresponding subtree. | The deep parameter does not apply to XmlAttribute nodes; they always carry their children with them when imported. |
CData | Copies the node, including its data. | Copies the node, including its data. |
Comment | Copies the node, including its data. | Copies the node, including its data. |
DocumentFragment | The descendants of the source node are recursively imported and the resulting nodes reassembled to form the corresponding subtree. | An empty XmlDocumentFragment is generated. |
DocumentType | Copies the node, including its data.* | Copies the node, including its data.* |
Element | The descendants of the source element and its specified attribute nodes are recursively imported and the resulting nodes reassembled to form the corresponding subtree. Note: Default attributes are not copied. If the document being imported into defines default attributes for this element name, those are assigned. | Specified attribute nodes of the source element are imported, and the generated XmlAttribute nodes are attached to the generated XmlElement. Note: Default attributes are not copied. If the document being imported into defines default attributes for this element name, those are assigned. |
EntityReference | Because the source and destination documents could have the entities defined differently, this method only copies the XmlEntityReference node. The replacement text is not included. If the destination document has the entity defined, its value is assigned. | Because the source and destination documents could have the entities defined differently, this method only copies the XmlEntityReference node. The replacement text is not included. If the destination document has the entity defined, its value is assigned. |
ProcessingInstruction | Copies the target and data value from the imported node. | Copies the target and data value from the imported node. |
Text | Copies the node, including its data. | Copies the node, including its data. |
SignificantWhitespace | Copies the node, including its data. | Copies the node, including its data. |
Whitespace | Copies the node, including its data. | Copies the node, including its data. |
XmlDeclaration | Copies the target and data value from the imported node. | Copies the target and data value from the imported node. |
All other node types. | These node types cannot be imported. | These node types cannot be imported. |
*Although DocumentType nodes can be imported, a document can only have one DocumentType. If the document currently has a DocumenType node, it must be removed before adding a new one.
The following example imports a book node from a second XML document into the original XML document.
#using <System.Xml.dll> using namespace System; using namespace System::IO; using namespace System::Xml; int main() { //Create the XmlDocument. XmlDocument^ doc = gcnew XmlDocument; doc->LoadXml( "<bookstore><book genre='novel' ISBN='1-861001-57-5'><title>Pride And Prejudice</title></book></bookstore>" ); //Create another XmlDocument which holds a list of books. XmlDocument^ doc2 = gcnew XmlDocument; doc2->Load( "books.xml" ); //Import the last book node from doc2 into the original document. XmlNode^ newBook = doc->ImportNode( doc2->DocumentElement->LastChild, true ); doc->DocumentElement->AppendChild( newBook ); Console::WriteLine( "Display the modified XML..." ); doc->Save( Console::Out ); }
The example uses the file, books.xml, as input.
<?xml version='1.0'?> <!-- This file represents a fragment of a book store inventory database --> <bookstore> <book genre="autobiography" publicationdate="1981" ISBN="1-861003-11-0"> <title>The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin</title> <author> <first-name>Benjamin</first-name> <last-name>Franklin</last-name> </author> <price>8.99</price> </book> <book genre="novel" publicationdate="1967" ISBN="0-201-63361-2"> <title>The Confidence Man</title> <author> <first-name>Herman</first-name> <last-name>Melville</last-name> </author> <price>11.99</price> </book> <book genre="philosophy" publicationdate="1991" ISBN="1-861001-57-6"> <title>The Gorgias</title> <author> <name>Plato</name> </author> <price>9.99</price> </book> </bookstore>
Available since 10
.NET Framework
Available since 1.1