System.Xml.XmlException: Invalid character in the given encoding.

Question

Hello all,

I need some help regarding this error:

System.Xml.XmlException: Invalid character in the given encoding.

I´m trying to load a Xml:

XmlDocument xDoc = new XmlDocument();
xDoc.Load("http:// xml Url");

... but the xml file have word with ã ç õ, and it´s not defined a encode:

<Concurso>
<row>
<id>124<id>
<visitante>3746043</visitante>
<nome>Paulo Guimarães</nome>
</row>
</Concurso>

How can I manage this issue?

Many thanks.

Answer 1

If not specified, the default XML encoding is UTF-8 probably doen's have the characters you are looking for.  The ISO-8859-1 is Western European and may have what you want.  Does your XML file begin with...

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

... if so, try changing it to "ISO-8859-1" and see if it loads.

---

Les Potter, Xalnix Corporation

Answer 2

Nops, It´s not defined ....

I believe that is the problem, right?
Is there a way to force the use of ISO-8859-1 encode?

Thanks

Answer 3

Use the Load(Stream) method instead, where the stream argument is a StreamReader class instance.  Initialize that instance with the StreamReader(String, Encoding) constructor.

---

Hans Passant.

Answer 4

1. If no encoding is specified, xml-readers are supposed to result to UTF-8 in the first place.

2. Writing on top of your document: encoding='bla bla' doesn't actually SET the encoding on disc.  The program that created the xml-file is responsible for that.  Imagine the 'a' character, in encoding X, on your HardDisk, there will be: 0000 0001.  Where in encoding Y, it might be 000 0010 0000 0110.  Now if the 'a' is part of an xmldocument, and the top of your document says: "encoding=Z", then you will have weird results.  Those weird results are exactly what your problem at hand is.


The solution(s):
1. Where does the xml-file come from?  Is it generated by another application you wrote?  Can you change the encoding your application writes in?  Is it a 3rd party (bought, ...) application?  Did you search the help-file for the actual encoding?

2. Try re-writing the xml-file yourself.  Read it completely, then re-write it in proper encoding.  This worked for me:

public static void tryApply(string file)
{
string path = file;
UTF8Encoding enc = new UTF8Encoding();
string[] result = File.ReadAllLines(path, Encoding.Default);
                                                                //^^
FileStream fs = new FileStream(path, FileMode.Create);
BinaryWriter br = new BinaryWriter(fs, Encoding.UTF8);
                                                               //^^
for (int t = 0; t < result.Length; t++)
{
byte[] buffer = enc.GetBytes(result[t]);
br.Write(buffer);
}
br.Flush();
br.Close();
fs.Close();
}

---

The improbable we do, the impossible just takes a little longer. - Steven Parker

Answer 5

Is it possible to use StreamReader do read a remote file?
In my case the xml is provided by a third party ...

Thanks.

Answer 6

Use the StreamReader(Stream, Encoding) constructor.

---

Hans Passant.

Answer 7

Here goes my code:

<%@ Page Language="C#"%>
<%@ Import Namespace="System"%>
<%@ Import Namespace="System.Xml"%>
<%@ Import Namespace="System.IO" %>

<%
   
string path = "website url";
//string path = @"C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\ninho\web\promocao\teste.xml";
   
Encoding enc = Encoding.GetEncoding("iso-8859-1");
StreamReader sr = new StreamReader(path, enc);
String str = sr.ReadToEnd();

Response.Write(str);
       
%>

If i read a local file it works fine, but when I try to read a remote file I get this erro:

System.ArgumentException: URI formats are not supported.

Thanks.

---

edudesouza

Answer 8

StreamReader works with streams or files on disk, it doesn't know how to download files from the Internet.  Use something like HttpWebRequest.

---

Hans Passant.

Answer 9

Ok, thanks ... I think, I´m almost there:

string path1 = "xml url";   
Encoding enc = Encoding.GetEncoding("iso-8859-1");

WebRequest request = WebRequest.Create(path1);
request.Credentials = CredentialCache.DefaultCredentials;
WebResponse response = request.GetResponse();

Stream dataStream = response.GetResponseStream();
StreamReader reader = new StreamReader(dataStream, enc);

string responseFromServer = reader.ReadToEnd();

reader.Close();
response.Close();
   
XmlDocument xDoc = new XmlDocument();
xDoc.Load(responseFromServer);

//Response.Write(responseFromServer);

But I´m receiving tis error:
System.ArgumentException: Illegal characters in path.


Thanks

---

edudesouza

Answer 10

Use XmlDocument.LoadXml() if you want to do it this way.

---

Hans Passant.

Answer 11

Marvelous!
Works fine, above the code:

string path1 = " xml url ";
  
Encoding enc = Encoding.GetEncoding("iso-8859-1"); 
WebRequest request = WebRequest.Create(path1);
request.Credentials = CredentialCache.DefaultCredentials;
WebResponse response = request.GetResponse();

Stream dataStream = response.GetResponseStream();
StreamReader reader = new StreamReader(dataStream, enc);

string responseFromServer = reader.ReadToEnd();

reader.Close();
response.Close();

XmlDocument xDoc = new XmlDocument();
xDoc.LoadXml(responseFromServer);

... you said: "..if you want to do it this way."
Is there a better way to do all these stuff?

Many Thanks.

---

edudesouza

Answer 12

Hi Hans Passant,

                        Excellent. Thanks for the help.

Regards,

Zamsheer

Answer 13

Use the Load(Stream) method instead, where the stream argument is a StreamReader class instance.  Initialize that instance with the StreamReader(String, Encoding) constructor.

---

Hans Passant.

Thanks!!

Answer 14

Hi All,

The ISO-8859-1 encoding also not working for some of the charaters. The application throws error when reading the xml from url using HTTPWebRequest and working fine when I save the same xml to a file manually with the ISO-8859-1 encoding. What could be the issue? I think the characters that create problem are spanish. Please advise.

 

Regards,

Zamsheer

Answer 15

Hi All,

The ISO-8859-1 encoding also not working for some of the charaters. The application throws error when reading the xml from url using HTTPWebRequest and working fine when I save the same xml to a file manually with the ISO-8859-1 encoding. What could be the issue? I think the characters that create problem are spanish. Please advise.

 

Regards,

Zamsheer

Please start a new thread for your issue.

---

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Answer 16

Thanks a lot. you saved my day