How to Convert an XML File to CSV with PHP

XML is excellent for data exchange, but when we want to process it in Excel or import it into a database, CSV format is much more convenient. Below is a PHP script that automates this conversion.

Key Script Steps:

1. Path Setup: Define where your XML file is located and what the new CSV file will be named.
2. Loading with SimpleXML: The simplexml_load_file function converts XML into an object that we can traverse with a loop.
3. Setting Headers: Define the column names that will appear in the first row of the CSV file.
4. Writing: We use fputcsv, which ensures proper separation with commas or semicolons.

<?php
// File paths
$xmlFilePath = "data.xml";
$outputFilePath = "data.csv";

// Check if file exists
if (!file_exists($xmlFilePath)) {
    die("Error: XML file does not exist.");
}

// Load XML
$xml = simplexml_load_file($xmlFilePath);
if ($xml === false) {
    die("Error loading XML.");
}

// Open CSV for writing
$csv = fopen($outputFilePath, 'w');

// Write column headers (adapt to your structure)
$headers = ['ID', 'Name', 'Price'];
fputcsv($csv, $headers);

// Iterate through elements (in case there are <item> elements in XML)
foreach ($xml->item as $item) {
    $row = [
        (string) $item->id,
        (string) $item->name,
        (string) $item->price,
    ];
    fputcsv($csv, $row);
}

fclose($csv);
echo "Conversion successful! File is located at: {$outputFilePath}";
?>