How To Generate A XML File With Access VBA

XML is used to structure your data. You can send a CSV file to another person, but
using XML, you can structure your data in a more elegant format, and get very specific
about your fields, and what data is contained within your tags (your field names).

This is different than a basic CSV file where you don’t have that ability.

You can essentially provide instructions to the receiving tool on how to handle the
information they have received.

Using HTML you have specific tags you can use, so you are limited, but with XML you can customize your tags,
and you can display that data file on a webpage.

In this post you are going to be able to generate an XML file with the data from your database.

For example, I need to transfer my database information to my scanning devices so the field team
can finish their inspections, away from the office. So I’ll generate an XML file which I can email and load
into their scanning device.

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Private Sub btnXML_Click()

    Dim strSQL As String

    Dim rst As Recordset

    

    strSQL = "SELECT ID, Description, [Income/Expense], Taxable FROM Categories"

    

    Set rst = CurrentDb.OpenRecordset(strSQL)

    

    strpath = CurrentProject.Path & "\CategoryList.xml"

    

    Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

    

    Dim objFile As Object

    Set objFile = fso.CreateTextFile(strpath, True, True)

    

    objFile.Write "<?xml version='1.0'?>" & vbCrLf

    objFile.Write "<Categories>" & vbCrLf

    

    Do Until rst.EOF

        

        objFile.Write "<ID>" & rst.Fields("ID") & "</ID>" & vbCrLf

        objFile.Write "<Description>" & rst.Fields("Description") & "</Description>" & vbCrLf

        objFile.Write "<IncomeExpense>" & rst.Fields("Income/Expense") & "</IncomeExpense>" & vbCrLf

        objFile.Write "<Taxable>" & rst.Fields("Taxable") & "</Taxable>" & vbCrLf

        

        rst.MoveNext

    Loop

    

    objFile.Write "</Categories>"

    

    rst.Close

    Set rst = Nothing

    

    MsgBox "Complete"

End Sub

Here is the resulting file CategoryList.xml in same path your database is in:

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