PHP XML Counting Elements
Hi
I have some PHP code that reads the content of elements from an XML file. I have used for ( $counter = 0; $counter <= $count; ++$counter) to move from one parent element to the next and set $count = 3 because i know that the XML file has 4 parent elements. My problem is that the XML files I have contain different amounts of parent elements, i would like to use code to count them so i can set $count = $no_of_elements. Also it'd be cool to use code to find out what the element names are. I am using PHP Version 5.0.3 so simplexml & DOM/XML and Simple/XML are enabled, although i haven't yet found the appropriate functions for the job. Any advice would be great. PHP & XML code thus far is pasted below.
Cheers
Don
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
		Golden oriole
		Oriolus oriolus
		Summer
		9-42
		85
		Sparrowhawk
		Accipiter nisus
		Resident
		34,500
		0
		Siskin
		Carduelis spinus
		Resident/Winter
		310,000
		0
		Hoopoe
		Upupa epops
		Passage
		Occasional
		100
<?php
$database="birds";
$user="root";
mysql_connect(localhost,$user);
@mysql_select_db($database) or die( "Unable to select database");
if (file_exists('birds5.xml')) {
      $xml = simplexml_load_file('birds5.xml');
$count = 3;
for ( $counter = 0; $counter <= $count; ++$counter) {
 
$image = $xml->species[$counter]->image;
$name = $xml->species[$counter]->name;
$latin = $xml->species[$counter]->latin;
$status = $xml->species[$counter]->status;
$breeding = $xml->species[$counter]->breeding;
$passage= $xml->species[$counter]->passage;
$url = $xml->species[$counter]->url;
mysql_query("INSERT INTO allbirds
(image,name,latin,status,breeding,passage,url) VALUES('$image','$name', '$latin','$status', '$breeding','$passage', '$url') ") 
or die(mysql_error()); 
}
      }
else
{
exit('failed');
}
?>