NAME

       XML::Handler::Subs - a PerlSAX handler base class for calling user-defined subs

SYNOPSIS

        use XML::Handler::Subs;

        package MyHandlers;
        use vars qw{ @ISA };

        sub s_NAME { my ($self, $element) = @_ };
        sub e_NAME { my ($self, $element) = @_ };

        $self->{Names};    # an array of names
        $self->{Nodes};    # an array of $element nodes

        $handler = MyHandlers->new();
        $self->in_element($name);
        $self->within_element($name);

DESCRIPTION

       "XML::Handler::Subs" is a base class for PerlSAX handlers.  "XML::Handler::Subs" is
       subclassed to implement complete behavior and to add element-specific handling.

       Each time an element starts, a method by that name prefixed with `s_' is called with the
       element to be processed.  Each time an element ends, a method with that name prefixed with
       `e_' is called.  Any special characters in the element name are replaced by underscores.

       Subclassing XML::Handler::Subs in this way is similar to XML::Parser's Subs style.

       XML::Handler::Subs maintains a stack of element names, `"$self-"{Names}', and a stack of
       element nodes, `"$self-"{Nodes}>' that can be used by subclasses.  The current element is
       pushed on the stacks before calling an element-name start method and popped off the stacks
       after calling the element-name end method.  The `"in_element()"' and `"within_element()"'
       calls use these stacks.

       If the subclass implements `"start_document()"', `"end_document()"', `"start_element()"',
       and `"end_element()"', be sure to use `"SUPER::"' to call the the superclass methods also.
       See perlobj(1) for details on SUPER::.  `"SUPER::start_element()"' and
       `"SUPER::end_element()"' return 1 if an element-name method is called, they return 0 if no
       method was called.

       XML::Handler::Subs does not implement any other PerlSAX handlers.

       XML::Handler::Subs supports the following methods:

       new( OPTIONS )
           A basic `"new()"' method.  `"new()"' takes a list of key, value pairs or a hash and
           creates and returns a hash with those options; the hash is blessed into the subclass.

       in_element($name)
           Returns true if `$name' is equal to the name of the innermost currently opened
           element.

       within_element($name)
           Returns the number of times the `$name' appears in Names.

AUTHOR

       Ken MacLeod, ken@bitsko.slc.ut.us

SEE ALSO

       perl(1), PerlSAX.pod(3)