Sax character method cutting elements

Question

Hi everyone.
Here is my problem, sometimes the character method of Sax parser doesn't give me entire elements back.
I found these but cannot get it working:
Also, be really careful with what you get back from the characters method of the handler.
You can't count on the method to return entire element values -- my installation returns the value in one or more chunks.
The parser reads data in buffer's worth (in my case 2048 byte chuncks) and if it reaches the end of a buffer during the characters method.
It won't tell you -- you just get partial data, which you have to "string together" (StringBuffer.append()) until end element is reached.
The parser doesn't do this for you!
Actually here is what my Character method is giving me :
LEMONDE94-002500-19940319 ||  Nous nous conduirons comme de bons Europ�ens , affirme M. Pellat ,  mais nous serons d�sormais moins tir�s par les programmes de l' Agence , compl�te M. Levi .Nos engagements vis-�-vis de l' ESA repr�sentent 55,3% de nos autorisations de programme .Ce n' est pas un secret , nous n' irons pas plus loin .Ce n' est pas un mouvement anti-ESA , mais cela nous permettra , � partir de 1997 , "avec la baisse des besoins pour le d�veloppement du lanceur Ariane-5 , de d�gager des moyens pour l'avenir et nos programmes nationaux " .
LEMONDE94-002500-19940319 || "avec la baisse des besoins pour le d�veloppement du lanceur Ariane-5 , de d�gager des moyens pour l' avenir et nos programmes nationaux " .The first sentence is ok, but I only get the end of the second.
Here is my Character method :
public synchronized void characters(char[] ch, int start, int end) throws SAXException {
                if(localNameBuffer.equals(tagEnonce)==true){
                     contents[indexArr][1]=new String(ch, start, end);
         }Thanks for your help.
FeezDev

Answer 1

Hi,
I seem to be having the same problem. I'm relatively new to SAX, but I've implemented the parser to retrieve data and for some of the data I'm retrieving it is incomplete. If I'm understanding the above post correctly, and although this behaviour is documented it is still my job to correct this behaviour (not that I'm complaining or anything)?
Looking at the code posted by FeezDev I'm not completely sure how to catch this case or exactly what is the role of the characters method. Could anyone please shed some light. The code I'm using is as follows...
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.List;
import javax.xml.parsers.ParserConfigurationException;
import javax.xml.parsers.SAXParser;
import javax.xml.parsers.SAXParserFactory;
import org.xml.sax.Attributes;
import org.xml.sax.SAXException;
import org.xml.sax.helpers.DefaultHandler;
public class XMLParser extends DefaultHandler implements Clearable{
          //member objects
     private String tempValue;
     private Corrective tempCorrective;
     private List corrective;
     private File xmlFile;
      *      CONSTRUCTOR
     public XMLParser(){
          corrective=new ArrayList();
     public XMLParser(File f){
               //set file to parse
          this.setFile(f);
               //new arrayList instance
          corrective=new ArrayList();
      *      PARSE DOCUMENT
     public Runnable parseDocument(){
               //get a the sax parse factory
          SAXParserFactory parseFactory=SAXParserFactory.newInstance();
          try{
                    //obtain a new parser instance
               SAXParser parser=parseFactory.newSAXParser();
                    //parse the xml file and register this class for call backs
               parser.parse(xmlFile.getName(),this);
          }catch(SAXException se){
               se.printStackTrace();
          }catch(ParserConfigurationException pce){
               pce.printStackTrace();
          }catch(IOException ioe){
               ioe.printStackTrace();
          return null;
      *      START ELEMENT
     public void startElement(String uri,String localName,String qName,Attributes attribute)throws SAXException{
               //reset tempValue
          tempValue="";
               //if open element is encountered
          if(qName.equalsIgnoreCase("corrective")){
                    //create a new corrective action instance
               tempCorrective=new Corrective();
               tempCorrective.setID(attribute.getValue("id"));
          }else if(qName.equalsIgnoreCase("action-ref")){
               tempCorrective.appendIdref(attribute.getValue("idref"));
      *      CHARACTERS
     public void characters(char[] ch,int start,int length)throws SAXException{
          tempValue=new String(ch,start,length);
      *      END ELEMENT
     public void endElement(String uri,String localName,String qName)throws SAXException{
               //if corrective actions is encountered again
          if(qName.equalsIgnoreCase("corrective")){
                    //add the retrieve object to the list
               correctiveActions.add(tempCorrective);               
          }else if(qName.equalsIgnoreCase("text")){
                    //set the value of the text element
               tempCorrective.setText(tempValue);
     }Thanks in advance!