IXMLDOMParseError Properties
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| errorCode | Returns the error number or error code as a decimal integer. |
| filepos | Returns the absolute character position in the document where the error occurred. |
| line | Returns the number of the line where the error occurred. |
| linepos | Returns the absolute character position in the line where the error occurred. |
| reason | Returns a description of the source and reason for the error. If the error is in a schema or DTD, it can include the URL for the DTD or schema and the node in the schema or DTD where the error occurred. |
| srcText | Returns the full text of the line that contains the error. If the error cannot be assigned to a specific line, an empty line is returned. |
| url | Returns the URL for the most recent XML document that contained an error. |
To see how the IXMLDOMParseError interface is used, we will make a change to the first line of code in the Books.dtd: <!ELEMENT northwind:BOOKS (item)> by removing the northwind: from the line, as shown here:
<!ELEMENT BOOKS (item )>
Add another command button to the frmDOCTest form with the name cmdParseError and the caption ParseError. In the click event handler of this button, place the following code:
Private Sub cmdParseError _Click()
Dim objXMLDoc As DOMDocument
Dim objXMLParseError As IXMLDOMParseError
On Error GoTo cmdParseErrorError
Set objXMLDoc = New DOMDocument
objXMLDoc.async = False
objXMLDoc.Load ("c:\Books.xml")
'Check whether there was an error parsing the file using the
'parseError object.
If objXMLDoc.parseError.errorCode <> 0 Then
'If there was an error, raise it to jump into error trap.
Err.Raise objXMLDoc.parseError.errorCode
End If
Exit Sub
'Error Trap
cmdParseErrorError:
Set objXMLParseError = objXMLDoc.parseError
With objXMLParseError
'Because of the With objXMLParseError, .errorCode is the
'same as objXMLParseError.errorCode.
'First check whether the error was caused by a parse error.
If .errorCode <> 0 Then
Debug.Print "The following error occurred:" & vbCrLf & _
"error code: " & .errorCode & vbCrLf & _
"error file position: " & .filepos & vbCrLf & _
"error line: " & .Line & vbCrLf & _
"error line position: " & .linepos & vbCrLf & _
"error reason: " & vbCrLf & .reason & vbCrLf & _
"error source text: " & vbCrLf & .srcText & _
" Test:cmdParseError"
Else
'If the error was not caused by a parse error, use
'regular Visual Basic error object.
MsgBox "The following error has occurred:" & vbCrLf & _
"Error Description: " & Err.Description & _
vbCrLf & _
"Error Source: " & vbCrLf & Err.Source & _
" Test:cmdParseError" & vbCrLf & _
"Error Number: " & Err.Number
End If
End With
Set objXMLParseError = Nothing
Set objXMLDoc = Nothing
End Sub
Before you actually run this code, take a look at it to see what an error handler in production code should look like. A parse error does not raise its error. After the parse error occurs, the Visual Basic error number (Err.Number) is still 0. Thus, you must use the ParseError object to check for an error after you load an XML document. If there is a parse error, you can raise an error, as was done above, to bring you into the error trap.
The error trap provides a message if the error occurred in parsing the file. If the error was caused for some other reason, the standard Visual Basic Err error object is used. Also notice that the name of the application and the method are included in the source, making it easier to find and fix bugs.
Now you can run the updated application and click the ParseError button. With the change in the DTD, you will receive the following message:
The following error occurred: error code: -1072898035 error file position: 137 error line: 3 error line position: 64 error reason: The element 'northwind:BOOKS' is used but not declared in the DTD/Schema. error source text: <northwind:BOOKS xmlns:northwind="www.northwindtraders.com/PO"> Test:cmdParseError error source text: <northwind:BOOKS xmlns:northwind="www.northwindtraders.com/PO">
In this case, because the DTD has no awareness of namespaces, the namespace qualified northwind:BOOKS in the XML document no longer matches the DTD declaration.
To create a different error, change the DTD back to its original form by adding back the northwind:. Remove #FIXED "www. northwindtraders.com/PO" from the second line in the DTD, and the second line will look as follows:
<!ATTLIST ":BOOKS xmlns: "CDATA>
Now run the application and click the ParseError button; the error message will look as follows:
The following error occurred:
error code: -1072896766
error file position: 86
error line: 2
error line position: 51
error reason:
A string literal was expected, but no opening quote character
was found.
error source text:
<!ATTLIST northwind:BOOKS xmlns:northwind CDATA>
Test:cmdParseError
error source text:
<!ATTLIST northwind:BOOKS xmlns:northwind CDATA>
Notice that the error source text is now the information from the DTD. The reason might not be that obvious, but by looking at the error reason you will see that you need to include #REQUIRED, #FIXED, or #IMPLIED in the DTD. You must use #FIXED because this is a namespace attribute.