QueryPath, Mash-ups, and Web Services
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QueryPath is a PHP library designed for working with HTML and XML, akin to jQuery but server-side. It simplifies complex tasks related to document manipulation and integration with web services, providing a compact and mnemonic API that allows users to import, create, and query data efficiently. Used in environments like Drupal and various web services, it enhances the capabilities of semantic databases and content management systems.
![QueryPath
• Compact library.
• Functions are short and
mnemonic.
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• The power of DOM, but
simpler than SimpleXML
• (Shhh... don’t tell, but it’s
built on the DOM.)](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/querypath-paris2009-091022105622-phpapp02/85/QueryPath-Mash-ups-and-Web-Services-11-320.jpg)
QueryPath, Mash-ups, and Web Services
- 1. QueryPath For Web Services and Mash-ups
- 2. • Who created it? • What does it do? • Where is it being used? • Why use it? • How is it used?
- 3. Matt Butcher Maintainer of QueryPath and the Drupal QueryPath module http://technosophos.com http://twitter.com/technosophos
- 4. 2009 2004
- 5. What is QueryPath? QueryPath is a library for working with HTML and XML in PHP. It is like jQuery for the Server.
- 6. Why Another XML Library?
- 7. The Task Find all <a></a> tags who have the ancestor <div></div>
- 8. The DOM API • At least seventeen classes, each with dozens of methods. • Complex data structure. • Checkered history in PHP. • VERY powerful.
- 9. SimpleXML • One class, about a dozen functions and methods. • Turns XML into basic objects. • Makes easy stuff easy, and makes everything else insanely hard. Same size as DOM Example
- 10. SAX / Expat Same size, fewer features • Event based. • Write your own parser handler. • One per XML format. • Only reliable “legacy” library.
- 11. QueryPath • Compact library. • Functions are short and mnemonic. [This space intentionally left blank ] • The power of DOM, but simpler than SimpleXML • (Shhh... don’t tell, but it’s built on the DOM.)
- 12. Use it to... • Import HTML files • Create HTML on the fly • Read XML files • Retrieve database content and insert it • Work with remote web into XML or HTML services • Examine RDFa data • Manipulate SVG images inside HTML or XHTML • Retrieve RSS and Atom • Run SPARQL queries feed data and retrieve SemWeb content
- 13. Where is it Used?
- 14. Importing Content • 6,000+ existing documents • Fragments of HTML 2, 3, and 4 • Much of it non-standard • Imported into Drupal using BatchAPI, Tidy, and QueryPath
- 15. Querying Semantic Information • Use the OpenAmplify web service • Submit node content • Use results to enrich page • Build a supermashup (seven web services) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBBKPIva1tM
- 16. Gateway to Web Services • 100’s of Gigabytes of data • Stored in an external Digital Asset Management tool • XML gateway • QueryPath integrates Drupal with the DAM
- 17. Semantic Network • DBPedia is semantic equivalent of Wikipedia • Query with SPARQL • Return semantically oriented XML content • QueryPath can query and make use of the results
- 18. Twitter Mash-up • Retrieve latest posts from Twitter • Submit them to OpenAmplify for analysis • Provide “ratings” and sentiment information • Not in Drupal http://tweetypants.com
- 19. Frameweld Framework • Frameweld uses QueryPath as part of their proprietary framework • Clean separation of presentation and other logic • QueryPath translates data objects into HTML Frameweld contributes back to QueryPath
- 20. Why Use It?
- 21. Shorten Difficult Tasks <?php require 'QueryPath/QueryPath.php'; $odt = 'zip://o.odt#content.xml'; foreach(qp($odt, 'text|h') as $i) { print $i->text() . "n"; } (Prints an outline from an ODT document)
- 22. Twitter Search Ten Lines of Code
- 23. How is it Used?
- 24. A Closer Look ‣Object-oriented ‣Operates on files, strings, or streams ‣Uses CSS 3 Selectors ‣Has dozens of methods
- 25. The Features • Query a document • Access remote data • With XPath • Extensions for... • CSS selectors • XSLT, XSD, PI • Move around inside the • SQL database access document • Templates • Modify the document • Access local files
- 26. Traversing an HTML or XML Document There are over a dozen functions for traversing a document. These are similar to jQuery’s traversal functions.
- 27. Manipulating a Document • Get and set text, elements, attributes, etc. • Move, clone, delete. • Build arbitrary XML or HTML.
- 28. In Drupal... • Install the QueryPath module • Begin using QueryPath in your modules
- 29. Outside of Drupal • Go to QueryPath.org • Download QueryPath • Use it in your applications
- 30. Learn More • IBM DeveloperWorks published an introduction to QueryPath: http://is.gd/2wHPA • The full API docs are available at http://api.querypath.org • Learn more about Drupal modules at http://dupal.org/project/querypath