how to parse xml to json via SSJS

Question

I'm using SSJS to send an API request, the API response is an XML format.

For example:

<Result>
    <status>0</status>
    .
    .
    .
</Result>

How can I get the status field?

Answer 1

Another solution with full credit to Eliot, if you're looking for a field that only appears once you can use Regex:

Parse XML in Server Side Javascript

Answer 2

There are no SSJS functions for parsing XML (you can only parse JSON with SSJS) but there is an AMPscript function called BuildRowSetFromXML that will do the trick. Here is an example from the ampscript.guide:

%%[

var @xml, @isXML, @nodes, @rowCount

set @xml = ""
set @xml = concat(@xml, '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '<cart>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '  <items>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '    <item>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '       <sku><![CDATA[123]]></sku>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '       <name><![CDATA[Square]]></name>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '       <url><![CDATA[https://limedash.com?sku=123]]></url>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '    </item>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '    <item>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '        <sku><![CDATA[456]]></sku>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '        <name><![CDATA[Circle]]></name>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '        <url><![CDATA[https://limedash.com?sku=456]]></url>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '    </item>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '    <item>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '        <sku><![CDATA[789]]></sku>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '        <name><![CDATA[Triangle]]></name>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '        <url><![CDATA[https://limedash.com?sku=789]]></url>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '    </item>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '  </items>')
set @xml = concat(@xml, '</cart> ')

if indexOf(@xml,"<cart>") > 0 then

  set @nodes = BuildRowsetFromXML(@xml,"/cart/items/item",0)
  set @rowCount = rowcount(@nodes)

  if @rowCount > 0 then

    for @i = 1 to @rowCount do

      var @sku
      var @name
      var @url

      set @nodepath = concat("/cart/items/item[",@i,"]/")

      if rowcount(BuildRowsetFromXML(@xml,concat(@nodepath,"sku"))) > 0 then
          set @sku = Field(Row(BuildRowsetFromXML(@xml,concat(@nodepath,"sku"),0),1),'Value')
      endif

      if rowcount(BuildRowsetFromXML(@xml,concat(@nodepath,"name"))) > 0 then
          set @name = Field(Row(BuildRowsetFromXML(@xml,concat(@nodepath,"name"),0),1),'Value')
      endif

      if rowcount(BuildRowsetFromXML(@xml,concat(@nodepath,"url"))) > 0 then
          set @url = Field(Row(BuildRowsetFromXML(@xml,concat(@nodepath,"url"),0),1),'Value')
      endif

      if not empty(@sku) and not empty(@name) and not empty(@url) then

      ]%%

       <br><a href="%%=redirectto(@url)=%%">%%=v(@name)=%% (%%=v(@sku)=%%)</a>

      %%[

      endif

    next @i

  else

   output(concat("<br>no products found"))

  endif

else

  output(concat("<br>no XML found"))

endif

]%%

Output:

<br><a href="https://limedash.com/?sku=123">Square (123)</a>
<br><a href="https://limedash.com/?sku=456">Circle (456)</a>
<br><a href="https://limedash.com/?sku=789">Triangle (789)</a>

You can either rewrite the whole API call to AMPscript, or you can simply pass the response from SSJS to an AMPscript variable using the Variable.SetValue function: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.mc-programmatic-content.meta/mc-programmatic-content/ssjs_utilitiesVariableSetValue.htm.