simplexml_load_string Interprets a string of XML into an object &reftitle.description; SimpleXMLElementfalsesimplexml_load_string stringdata stringnullclass_nameSimpleXMLElement::class intoptions0 stringnamespace_or_prefix"" boolis_prefix&false; Takes a well-formed XML string and returns it as an object. &reftitle.parameters; data A well-formed XML string class_name You may use this optional parameter so that simplexml_load_string will return an object of the specified class. That class should extend the SimpleXMLElement class. options &dom.parameter.options; namespace_or_prefix Namespace prefix or URI. is_prefix &true; if namespace_or_prefix is a prefix, &false; if it's a URI; defaults to &false;. &reftitle.returnvalues; Returns an object of class SimpleXMLElement with properties containing the data held within the xml document,&return.falseforfailure;. &return.falseproblem; &reftitle.errors; Produces an E_WARNING error message for each error found in the XML data. Use libxml_use_internal_errors to suppress all XML errors, and libxml_get_errors to iterate over them afterwards. &reftitle.examples; Joe Jane I know that's the answer -- but what's the question? XML; $xml = simplexml_load_string($string); print_r($xml); ?> ]]> &example.outputs; Forty What? [from] => Joe [to] => Jane [body] => I know that's the answer -- but what's the question? ) ]]> At this point, you can go about using $xml->body and such. &reftitle.seealso; simplexml_load_file SimpleXMLElement::__construct libxml_use_internal_errors