# XMLFill

### D**escription**‌

The XMLFill function creates a Flow table from a string value containing XML data.

The XMLFill function can be used to parse simple XML data into a Flow table. In order to do this, the function needs a *prototype table*, which is an empty table specifying the columns expected in the XML data. If not all columns are present in the XML data, the function will fail.

The third argument of the XMLFill function can be used to specify an [XPath expression](https://www.w3schools.com/xml/xpath_intro.asp) pointing out the root element under which each row is found.

### **Syntax**

‌The syntax for the XMLFill function is:

`XMLFill(prototypeTable, data, xpath)`

#### ‌**Parameters**

prototypeTable - the empty table with the structure of the table which is to be created; table(column1, column2). If not all columns are present in the XML data, the function will fail.‌

data - the XML file

xpath - the root element under which each row is found

### **Example**

Given the following XML:

```markup
<animals>
    <animal>
        <name>cat</name>
    </animal>
    <animal>
        <name>dog</name>
    </animal>
</animals>
```

...you can use the XMLFill function as such:

```fsharp
let prototype = table(name);
let result = XmlFill(prototype, xmlData, "");

// The 'result' variable will contain two rows corresponding to the <animal>
// elements in the XML above.
```


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