StAX is a technology similar to SAX. : Stream Parser « XML « Java Tutorial

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2. XML
3. Stream Parser

StAX is based on a pull technology.

StAX is the client that queries the StAX parser for more elements.

It allows you to iterate over the elements being read, similar to having a ResultSet in a JDBC application.

StAX classes and interfaces are in javax.xml.stream package and its two subpackages, javax.xml.stream.events and javax.xml.stream.util.

The four most prominent interfaces are XMLStreamReader, XMLEventReader, XMLStreamWriter, and XMLEventWriter, all of which are part of javax.xml.stream.

import java.io.FileReader;
import java.io.Reader;

import javax.xml.stream.XMLInputFactory;
import javax.xml.stream.XMLStreamConstants;
import javax.xml.stream.XMLStreamReader;

public class XMLStreamReaderDemo {
  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    XMLInputFactory factory = XMLInputFactory.newInstance();

    Reader fileReader = new FileReader("source.xml");
    XMLStreamReader reader = factory.createXMLStreamReader(fileReader);

    while (reader.hasNext()) {
      process(reader);
      reader.next();
    }
  }

  private static void process(XMLStreamReader reader) {
    int eventType = reader.getEventType();
    switch (eventType) {
    case XMLStreamConstants.START_ELEMENT:
      System.out.println("Start element: " + reader.getLocalName());

      int count = reader.getAttributeCount();
      for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
        String name = reader.getAttributeLocalName(i);
        String value = reader.getAttributeValue(i);
        System.out.println("\tAttribute name/value: " + name + "/" + value);
      }
      break;

    case XMLStreamConstants.END_ELEMENT:
      System.out.println("End element: " + reader.getLocalName());
      break;

    case XMLStreamConstants.CHARACTERS:
      System.out.println("Text: " + reader.getText());
      break;
    default:
      break;
    }
  }
}