Version 4 help (reading XML file)

[dennism]

I'm new to Magic RDS V 4, having been forced to upgrade from 3. I searched for this but couldn't find anything yet.

In trying to set up the parsing from an XML file, clicking the Find Element button brings up a blank window, no information inside. I know the path to the file is correct. I tried entering the element name several different ways but nothing works. This is a sample of the XML data:

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='ISO-8859-1' ?>
<PlayList>
<Entry Event="00"
Type="Playing"
Category="SONG"
Id="MUS7541"
Title="Hot Stuff"
Artist="Donna Summer"
Album=""

This error shows in the log: 26-09-22 16:13:37; Application Error: Access violation at address 00405FEF in module 'magicrds.exe'. Read of address 00000000

I'm sure I'm missing something but I don't know what. Please help. Thanks.

[Jan]

I would proceed as follows:

1) Download the latest version of Magic RDS 4, as the version you are currently using is outdated. You will immediately see what the issue with the file is.

2) The file you attached is not a valid XML file; therefore, it cannot be processed as XML. The application that generated the file is likely malfunctioning, so you should ask the author to fix it. If that is not possible, you must process the file as "Entire file as plain text" and use text replacement tools to remove anything you do not want in the final output.

[dennism]

Thanks for the reply Jan.

I thought I had the latest version. I will check.

Regarding the "XML" file, we've been using it for years with Verion 3. It's generated by our PlayoutONE automation. It also works fine with our stream provider for metadata. I'll pursue the text replace function.

Thank you.

[Jan]

My reply was based on the file you attached to your previous post. It is not a valid XML file because it is missing closing tags. Please verify this. In any case, I would aim to use XML processing rather than plain text. At the moment, we have no reported issues regarding XML in Magic RDS 4.

[dennism]

I actually didn't send the whole file, just the title/artist portion. This is a complete file:

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='ISO-8859-1' ?>
<PlayList>
<Entry Event="00"
Type="Playing"
Category="SONG"
Id="MUS6048"
Title="My Sweet Lord"
Artist="George Harrison"
Album=""
Composer=""
MusicId=""
Outcue=""
StationId="WECK_FM"
Duration="00:04:30"
StartTime="2026-09-23 09:55:20"
/>
</PlayList>

I checked and the version I have is the latest.

[Jan]

I would like to help you, but unfortunately, I don't know how. When I save and load your file, everything works normally. See the attached image.

Either there is an unknown issue with file access rights, or (unlikely) your Windows installation is corrupted and the XML library is not working. Could you copy the file to another location and try reading it there?

[dennism]

Thank you for replying. I think I will try a uninstall and reinstall. Something may have been corrupted.

[Jan]

If you run into any issues, please let me know. It is important to us that everything works properly. However, I will likely need more information, as it clearly works fine under "standard" operating conditions.

[dennism]

I've tried running version 4 on three different computers but none will display anything in the Find Element window. I'm sure there's an incompatibility somewhere. This is trying to use version 4 with a P332. I also have a 232U being fed from PlayoneONE and it works fine.

I'm going to go back to Version 3 and try again.

[Jan]

It has nothing to do with the device. Simply attach the original XML file to an email and send it to me, or attach it here to the post. There is likely something in the file that is causing the XML parser to reject it as invalid.

Please send the actual file rather than copying and pasting its contents. Copied text may not preserve the original data exactly — for example, the character encoding or special characters may be altered or lost.

You could also try an online XML validator, but that would not provide me with the information I need to determine whether the application needs to be modified.

Judging by the declared character encoding (ISO-8859-1), I suspect that the application generating this XML file may be relatively old. This legacy 8-bit encoding is still valid, but UTF-8 has long been the standard choice for modern XML applications. This is precisely where a potential source of problems may lie: if the application indicates the now less common ISO-8859-1 encoding but actually uses a different character set.

You should double-check that you are using the current version of Magic RDS — currently 4.3.1, which is displayed after pressing the Home button on the top bar.

[Jan]

The version released today includes expanded error messages for broken XML file processing. This might help you identify where the problem lies.

[dennism]

I have another problem with Version 4 and my P232U. Yesterday evening it suddenly stopped sending data to the transmitter. I can read the settings from the unit but nothing shows on air or in RDS Spy. It worked fine until yesterday.

It's a remote setup, connected by vpn through a Lantronix UDS1100. Baud rate 2400, port 3001. It's difficult to get to the site so I did a reset and also initialize command. Nothing helped. I uninstalled Magic RDS 4 and reinstalled. Right now I do not have any dynamic data feeding it, only a static message in RadioText.

It's acting like the encoder is disabled. It's set to enable.

Any ideas on where to look would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Jan]

I don't quite understand how the unit can be sending nothing to the transmitter while you simultaneously report seeing static radiotext. In any case, I do spot a problem with your setup: RDS Spy could never have worked at a speed of 2400 baud, as it is impossible to provide decoded data at such a low rate — a fact actually noted in the manual. When using an external Ethernet-to-RS-232 converter, the software cannot technically detect or adjust the communication speed; you must configure this via the converter's control interface. You also need to ensure that the speed set on the converter matches the speed pre-configured on the encoder.