Format XML Document created with PHP - DOMDocument

Question

I am trying to format visually how my XML file looks when it is output. Right now if you go here and view the source you will see what the file looks like.

The PHP I have that creates the file is: (Note, $links_array is an array of urls)

        header('Content-Type: text/xml');
        $sitemap = new DOMDocument;
        
        // create root element
        $root = $sitemap->createElement("urlset");
        $sitemap->appendChild($root);
         
        $root_attr = $sitemap->createAttribute('xmlns'); 
        $root->appendChild($root_attr); 

        $root_attr_text = $sitemap->createTextNode('http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9'); 
        $root_attr->appendChild($root_attr_text); 

        
        
        foreach($links_array as $http_url){
        
                // create child element
                $url = $sitemap->createElement("url");
                $root->appendChild($url);
                
                $loc = $sitemap->createElement("loc");
                $lastmod = $sitemap->createElement("lastmod");
                $changefreq = $sitemap->createElement("changefreq");
                
                $url->appendChild($loc);
                $url_text = $sitemap->createTextNode($http_url);
                $loc->appendChild($url_text);
                
                $url->appendChild($lastmod);
                $lastmod_text = $sitemap->createTextNode(date("Y-m-d"));
                $lastmod->appendChild($lastmod_text);
                
                $url->appendChild($changefreq);
                $changefreq_text = $sitemap->createTextNode("weekly");
                $changefreq->appendChild($changefreq_text);
                
        }
        
        $file = "sitemap.xml";
        $fh = fopen($file, 'w') or die("Can't open the sitemap file.");
        fwrite($fh, $sitemap->saveXML());
        fclose($fh);
    }

As you can tell by looking at the source, the file isn't as readable as I would like it to be. Is there any way for me to format the nodes?

Thanks,
Levi

Answer 1

Checkout the formatOutput setting in DOMDocument.

$sitemap->formatOutput = true

Answer 2

not just PHP, there is a stylesheet for XML: XSLT, which can format XML into sth looks good.