Convert XML to a List

Extract data from XML documents into clean, readable lists with this Convert XML to a List tool. Whether you’re processing XML feeds, configuration files, or structured data exports, this tool parses XML content and converts it into simple line-by-line text format. Perfect for developers who need to extract specific values from XML APIs, analyze XML structure, or convert XML data into formats suitable for spreadsheets and databases.

Paste your XML data or upload an XML file.
Items Extracted: 0
Options
Include attributes
Skip empty values
Preserve whitespace

How to Use:

1. Input Your XML

  • Paste your XML data into the input box, including complete documents or XML fragments
  • Use the Import button to load XML files directly from your computer
  • The Convert XML to a List tool validates and processes your XML automatically

2. Configure Extraction Options

  • Toggle “Include attributes” to add attribute values alongside element text content
  • Enable “Skip empty values” to remove blank or null entries from your output list
  • Turn on “Preserve whitespace” to maintain original spacing and formatting in text content
  • Set the “Target element” field to extract only specific XML elements by tag name

3. Choose Extraction Mode

  • Select “Text content” to extract the actual text values from XML elements
  • Pick “Element names” to get a list of all XML tag names in your document
  • Use “Element paths” to see the hierarchical structure and location of each element
  • Choose “Attribute values” to extract only the values stored in XML attributes

4. Convert and Export

  • Click “Convert” to extract your list from the XML structure
  • Use “Copy” to copy the extracted text to your clipboard
  • Export your results as a text file for use in other applications
  • The tool displays a count of how many items were successfully extracted

What Convert XML to a List can do:

This tool handles all the XML parsing scenarios you encounter when working with structured data. Got an RSS feed that needs product names extracted? Paste it in and pull out just the title elements. Working with configuration files that have nested settings? Extract specific values or see the complete element hierarchy to understand the structure.

The different extraction modes give you flexibility for various data analysis tasks. Text content mode works perfectly for getting actual data values from XML feeds, API responses, or database exports. Element names extraction helps when you’re documenting XML schemas or need to understand what tags are available in unfamiliar XML files.

Path extraction shows you exactly where each element sits in the XML hierarchy, which is invaluable for debugging XML processing code or building XPath queries. Instead of manually tracing through nested elements, you get clear paths like “products > item[3] > description” that show the exact location of each piece of data.

Attribute extraction is particularly useful for XML that stores important data in attributes rather than element text. Many XML formats use attributes for IDs, categories, or metadata, and this mode pulls out those values into a clean list format.

The target element filtering lets you focus on specific parts of large XML documents. If you only care about “product” elements in a complex catalog XML, just set that as your target and the tool will skip everything else, giving you exactly what you need without manual filtering.

Example:

Here’s how the tool works with a typical XML product catalog. Starting with this XML:

xml

<products>
  <item id="1" category="electronics">MacBook Pro 16-inch</item>
  <item id="2" category="electronics">iPad Air 5th Generation</item>
  <item id="3" category="accessories">Apple Watch Series 9</item>
</products>

Text content mode extracts:

MacBook Pro 16-inch
iPad Air 5th Generation
Apple Watch Series 9

Element paths mode shows:

products > item[1]
products > item[2]
products > item[3]

Attribute values mode gives:

1
electronics
2
electronics
3
accessories

Convert XML to List Table:

This table demonstrates how different XML structures get converted to lists, showing various extraction modes and their output formats.

XML InputText ContentElement Names
<items><item>apple</item><item>banana</item></items>apple
banana		items
item
item
<users><user name=”John”/><user name=”Jane”/></users>(empty elements)users
user
user
<config><theme>dark</theme><lang>en</lang></config>dark
en		config
theme
lang
<tasks><task id=”1″>Buy milk</task><task id=”2″>Walk dog</task></tasks>Buy milk
Walk dog		tasks
task
task
<data><item value=”red”/><item value=”blue”/></data>(empty elements)data
item
item

Common Use Cases:

Web developers use this tool constantly for processing XML API responses and extracting specific data points without writing custom parsing code. Instead of manually navigating through complex XML structures, you can quickly pull out product names from e-commerce feeds, article titles from RSS feeds, or configuration values from XML settings files. Data analysts find it helpful for converting XML exports into CSV-ready formats, extracting database records from XML dumps, or preparing XML data for spreadsheet analysis. The element path extraction is particularly valuable for API documentation and debugging, showing exactly how to access nested values in XML responses. Content management workflows benefit from the tool’s ability to extract text content from XML-based content formats, making it easy to migrate data between different systems or analyze content structure.

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