lightools · janedbal · Aug 26, 2026 · Aug 26, 2026 · Aug 26, 2026 · Aug 26, 2026
diff --git a/.github/workflows/checks.yml b/.github/workflows/checks.yml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ jobs:
         strategy:
             fail-fast: false
             matrix:
-                php-version: [ '8.0', '8.1', '8.2', '8.3', '8.4', '8.5' ]
+                php-version: [ '8.4', '8.5' ]
         steps:
             -
                 name: Checkout code

diff --git a/composer.json b/composer.json
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
     "description": "Simple and safe parsing of XML and HTML sources.",
     "license": ["MIT"],
     "require": {
-        "php": ">=8.0",
+        "php": ">=8.4",
         "ext-dom": "*",
         "ext-libxml": "*"
     },

diff --git a/composer.lock b/composer.lock
diff --git a/readme.md b/readme.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ## Introduction
 
-This library provides simple interface for loading XML or HTML strings to DomDocument object.
+This library provides simple interface for loading XML or HTML strings to `Dom\XMLDocument` or `Dom\HTMLDocument` objects (the DOM API introduced in PHP 8.4).
 It prevents some known vulnerabilities and allows you to handle LibXML errors simply by catching XmlException as you can see below.
 
 ## Installation
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ $ composer require lightools/xml
 
 ## Simple usage
 
-Both loading methods (loadXml and loadHtml) return DomDocument.
+The loadXml method returns `Dom\XMLDocument` and the loadHtml method returns `Dom\HTMLDocument` (parsed by the spec-compliant HTML5 parser).
+The HTML5 parser recovers from malformed markup, so loadHtml throws only for empty input.
 If you prefer working with SimpleXmlElement, you can use [simplexml_import_dom](https://secure.php.net/manual/en/function.simplexml-import-dom.php) function.
 
 ```php
@@ -21,8 +22,8 @@ $html = '<!doctype html><title>Foo</title>';
 $loader = new Lightools\Xml\XmlLoader();
 
 try {
-    $xmlDomDocument = $loader->loadXml($xml);
-    $htmlDomDocument = $loader->loadHtml($html);
+    $xmlDocument = $loader->loadXml($xml);
+    $htmlDocument = $loader->loadHtml($html);
 
 } catch (Lightools\Xml\XmlException $e) {
     // process exception
@@ -41,3 +42,4 @@ $ composer check
 - v1.x is for PHP 5.4 and higher
 - v2.x is for PHP 7.1 and higher
 - v3.x is for PHP 8.0 and higher
+- v4.x is for PHP 8.4 and higher (returns `Dom\XMLDocument` / `Dom\HTMLDocument` instead of `DOMDocument`)
diff --git a/src/Xml/XmlException.php b/src/Xml/XmlException.php
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 use LibXMLError;
 use RuntimeException;
+use Throwable;
 use function trim;
 use const LIBXML_ERR_ERROR;
 use const LIBXML_ERR_FATAL;
@@ -14,7 +15,7 @@ class XmlException extends RuntimeException
 
     private LibXMLError $error;
 
-    public function __construct(LibXMLError $error)
+    public function __construct(LibXMLError $error, ?Throwable $previous = null)
     {
         $this->error = $error;
         $info = trim($error->message) . " on line $error->line and column $error->column";
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@ public function __construct(LibXMLError $error)
             default => "Unknown XML failure #$error->code: $info",
         };
 
-        parent::__construct($errorMessage, $error->code);
+        parent::__construct($errorMessage, $error->code, $previous);
     }
 
     public function getError(): LibXMLError

diff --git a/src/Xml/XmlLoader.php b/src/Xml/XmlLoader.php
@@ -2,81 +2,70 @@
 
 namespace Lightools\Xml;
 
-use DOMDocument;
+use Dom\HTMLDocument;
+use Dom\XMLDocument;
+use DOMException;
 use LibXMLError;
 use function libxml_clear_errors;
 use function libxml_get_last_error;
 use function libxml_use_internal_errors;
 use const LIBXML_ERR_FATAL;
 use const LIBXML_NOBLANKS;
 use const LIBXML_NONET;
-use const XML_DOCUMENT_TYPE_NODE;
 
 class XmlLoader
 {
 
-    private const LOAD_XML = 'xml';
-    private const LOAD_HTML = 'html';
-
     /**
      * @throws XmlException When parsing fails
      */
-    public function loadXml(string $xml): DOMDocument
+    public function loadXml(string $xml): XMLDocument
     {
-        $domDocument = $this->load($xml, self::LOAD_XML);
-        $this->checkDomDocumentChildren($domDocument);
+        $domDocument = $this->parse(static function () use ($xml): XMLDocument {
+            return XMLDocument::createFromString($xml, LIBXML_NONET | LIBXML_NOBLANKS);
+        }, $xml);
+
+        if ($domDocument->doctype !== null) {
+            throw new XmlException($this->getCustomError('Document types are not allowed'));
+        }
+
         return $domDocument;
     }
 
     /**
      * @throws XmlException When parsing fails
      */
-    public function loadHtml(string $html): DOMDocument
+    public function loadHtml(string $html): HTMLDocument
     {
-        return $this->load($html, self::LOAD_HTML);
+        return $this->parse(static function () use ($html): HTMLDocument {
+            return HTMLDocument::createFromString($html);
+        }, $html);
     }
 
     /**
+     * @template T of XMLDocument|HTMLDocument
+     * @param callable(): T $parser
+     * @return T
      * @throws XmlException
      */
-    private function load(string $source, string $method): DOMDocument
+    private function parse(callable $parser, string $source): XMLDocument|HTMLDocument
     {
         if ($source === '') {
             throw new XmlException($this->getCustomError('Empty string supplied as input'));
         }
 
         $internalErrorsOld = libxml_use_internal_errors(true);
 
-        $dom = new DOMDocument();
+        try {
+            return $parser();
 
-        if ($method === self::LOAD_XML) {
-            $success = $dom->loadXML($source, LIBXML_NONET | LIBXML_NOBLANKS);
-        } else {
-            $success = $dom->loadHTML($source, LIBXML_NONET | LIBXML_NOBLANKS);
-        }
-
-        $error = libxml_get_last_error();
+        } catch (DOMException $e) {
+            $error = libxml_get_last_error();
+            throw new XmlException($error !== false ? $error : $this->getCustomError($e->getMessage()), $e);
 
-        libxml_clear_errors();
-        libxml_use_internal_errors($internalErrorsOld);
-
-        if ($success === false) {
-            throw new XmlException($error !== false ? $error : $this->getCustomError('Unknown error'));
-        }
-
-        return $dom;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * @see http://stackoverflow.com/a/10218526/1542616
-     * @throws XmlException
-     */
-    private function checkDomDocumentChildren(DOMDocument $dom): void
-    {
-        foreach ($dom->childNodes as $child) {
-            if ($child->nodeType === XML_DOCUMENT_TYPE_NODE) {
-                throw new XmlException($this->getCustomError('Document types are not allowed'));
-            }
+        } finally {
+            libxml_clear_errors();
+            libxml_use_internal_errors($internalErrorsOld);
         }
     }
 

diff --git a/tests/XmlLoaderTest.phpt b/tests/XmlLoaderTest.phpt
@@ -17,8 +17,6 @@ Environment::setup();
  */
 class XmlLoaderTest extends TestCase {
 
-    private const LIBXML_WITH_ENTITY_EXPANSION_PROTECTION = 21100; // https://github.com/GNOME/libxml2/commit/3f69fc805c9bea48f9339b1ce6c9db7a10f03f63#diff-e944513ca01df80ccaa2ddb8f845f0dee99c66e68cf56224c46de88a742fe7c3
-
     public function testBillionLaugh(): void {
         $source = trim('
         <?xml version="1.0"?>
@@ -37,16 +35,11 @@ class XmlLoaderTest extends TestCase {
         <lolz>&lol9;</lolz>
         ');
 
-        if (LIBXML_VERSION >= self::LIBXML_WITH_ENTITY_EXPANSION_PROTECTION) {
-            $error = 'XML Fatal Error #89: Maximum entity amplification factor exceeded on line 1 and column 25';
-        } else {
-            $error = 'XML Fatal Error #89: Detected an entity reference loop on line 14 and column 21';
-        }
-
+        // message differs across libxml versions, see https://github.com/GNOME/libxml2/commit/3f69fc805c9bea48f9339b1ce6c9db7a10f03f63
         Assert::exception(function () use ($source): void {
             $loader = new XmlLoader();
             $loader->loadXml($source);
-        }, XmlException::class, $error);
+        }, XmlException::class, 'XML Fatal Error #89: %a% on line %d% and column %d%');
     }
 
     public function testQuadraticBlowup(): void {
@@ -58,16 +51,34 @@ class XmlLoaderTest extends TestCase {
         <kaboom>' . str_repeat('&a;', 100000) . '</kaboom>
         ');
 
-        if (LIBXML_VERSION >= self::LIBXML_WITH_ENTITY_EXPANSION_PROTECTION) {
-            $error = 'XML Fatal Error #89: Maximum entity amplification factor exceeded on line 5 and column 47';
-        } else {
-            $error = 'XML Fatal Error #0: Document types are not allowed on line 0 and column 0';
-        }
+        Assert::exception(function () use ($source): void {
+            $loader = new XmlLoader();
+            $loader->loadXml($source);
+        }, XmlException::class, 'XML Fatal Error #89: %a% on line %d% and column %d%');
+    }
+
+    public function testDoctype(): void {
+        $source = '<?xml version="1.0"?><!DOCTYPE root><root/>';
+
+        Assert::exception(function () use ($source): void {
+            $loader = new XmlLoader();
+            $loader->loadXml($source);
+        }, XmlException::class, 'XML Fatal Error #0: Document types are not allowed on line 0 and column 0');
+    }
+
+    public function testExternalEntityInjection(): void {
+        $source = trim('
+        <?xml version="1.0"?>
+        <!DOCTYPE root [
+            <!ENTITY xxe SYSTEM "file://' . __FILE__ . '">
+        ]>
+        <root>&xxe;</root>
+        ');
 
         Assert::exception(function () use ($source): void {
             $loader = new XmlLoader();
-            (string) $loader->loadXml($source);
-        }, XmlException::class, $error);
+            $loader->loadXml($source);
+        }, XmlException::class, 'XML Fatal Error #0: Document types are not allowed on line 0 and column 0');
     }
 
     public function testEmptySource(): void {
@@ -83,16 +94,10 @@ class XmlLoaderTest extends TestCase {
         <invalid>
         ');
 
-        if (LIBXML_VERSION < 20911) {
-            $error = 'XML Fatal Error #74: EndTag: \'</\' not found on line 2 and column 18';
-        } else {
-            $error = 'XML Fatal Error #77: Premature end of data in tag invalid line 2 on line 2 and column 18';
-        }
-
         Assert::exception(function () use ($source): void {
             $loader = new XmlLoader();
             $loader->loadXml($source);
-        }, XmlException::class, $error);
+        }, XmlException::class, 'XML Fatal Error #77: Premature end of data in tag invalid line 2 on line 2 and column 18');
     }
 
     public function testValidXml(): void {
@@ -108,7 +113,7 @@ class XmlLoaderTest extends TestCase {
 
         $loader = new XmlLoader();
         $xml = $loader->loadXml($source);
-        Assert::same('Jack', $xml->getElementsByTagName('from')->item(0)->nodeValue);
+        Assert::same('Jack', $xml->getElementsByTagName('from')->item(0)->textContent);
     }
 
     public function testValidHtml(): void {
@@ -126,8 +131,14 @@ class XmlLoaderTest extends TestCase {
         ');
 
         $loader = new XmlLoader();
-        $xml = $loader->loadHtml($source);
-        Assert::same('Foo', $xml->getElementsByTagName('title')->item(0)->nodeValue);
+        $html = $loader->loadHtml($source);
+        Assert::same('Foo', $html->getElementsByTagName('title')->item(0)->textContent);
+    }
+
+    public function testMalformedHtml(): void {
+        $loader = new XmlLoader();
+        $html = $loader->loadHtml('<p><b>foo</p></b><table><tr>');
+        Assert::same('foo', $html->getElementsByTagName('b')->item(0)->textContent);
     }
 
 }