GXml is a library, written in Vala, providing a good support to read and write XML files. Behind it you’ll find libxml2, wrapped by GObject classes.
Initially written by Richard Schwarting, to provide DOM Level 3 support on libxml2, now it has a set of interfaces, making easy to write different backends. While today just libxm2 is used, GXml have three GObject classes, one in with the original DOM support, one optimized to gain better use of libmxl2 and one in pure GObject. All of them allows you to access XML objects, like tags and properties, navigate over XML tree and modify if you need it. Each implementation of general purpose interfaces, like GXml.Node, have its own advantanges: DOM support, low memory foot print or better performance with larger foot print. Is a matter of you on what implementation you need.
My motivation on GXml, was initially pushed to have a low C library to support reading Substation Configuration Language files, IEC 61850-6 standard XML based files to energy related devices configuration. This files are large and complex. While there are a free open source project to handle them by LibreSCL, in order to have it working, GXml should gain GObject to XML serialization/deserialization. This has lead to commercial products, running both on Linux and Windows.
I’ll write down about how GXml serialization can be used for GObject Serialization, wait second posts.
