---
title: Introduction to XML Programming Topics for Core Foundation
framework: corefoundation
role: article
path: apple-archive/documentation/CoreFoundation/Conceptual/CFXML
---

# Introduction to XML Programming Topics for Core Foundation

Explains how to parse XML documents into structured objects.

## Organization of This Document

Core Foundation provides an XML parser you can use to read and extract data from XML documents. Core Foundation provides two APIs with which to access the parser. A tree-based API converts XML data into the Core Foundation collection `CFXMLTree`, and an event-driven and callback-based API allows you to perform any action you wish on each XML structure as it is encountered by the parser. This topic provides a brief introduction to XML and goes on to describe both of the XML parser interfaces in detail.

You need to understand the following concepts to use the XML objects:

- [About XML](Concepts/About.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20001228-CJBEJBHH) - [Core Foundation XML Parser](Concepts/CFXMLParser.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20001231-CJBEJBHH)

The following task demonstrates how to parse a simple XML document using each of the Core Foundation XML parser interfaces:

- [Parsing XML Documents](Tasks/ParsingXMLDocuments.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20001232-CJBEHAAG)

[Next](Concepts/About.html)

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