DeDEX

DeDEX is a DDEX XML file parser. DDEX is a standard used in the music industry to deliver rich media content. See more info at ddex.net. This covers only the ERN (Electronic Release Notification) standard, for versions 3.8.2 and 4.1.

In my past experiences as a developer, I always had to develop or enhanced a DDEX parser for ERN. I created one here that is as convenient to use as I always hoped for.

The Rule mechanism is pretty useful and flexible. The DDEX ERN standard is extremely vast and there are many ways to use it. Most providers generate a simplified yet comprehensive XML file covering most of the needs. The Rules helps checking during the parsing that not only the XML is valid, but contain the minimal consistent information.

It is possible to implement your own rules (contribute to this repository if you think other developers could make a use of it), and to implement a different set of rules for different provider.

For instance, it is possible to enforce that for a given XML the ISRC is provided for all recordings, but not for another one. Providers rules can be modelled in a Rules Set.

If you find this useful, please star this repository.

This repository provides Simple Entities that can be handy to parse your first XML files. They give a simplified model of an Album, with Tracks, Artists and Deals attached. You can ignored the Simple Entities and build your own set or superset of entities to serve your needs. Note that the Simple Entities give a limited usage of DDEX. Read the documentation carefully before using it.

Installation

composer require miqwit/dedex

Usage

Convert a DDEX file to a SimpleAlbum

use DedexBundle\Controller\ErnParserController;
use DedexBundle\Simplifiers\SimpleAlbum;

$xml_path = "tests/samples/with_assets/004_complete/1199119911991.xml";
$parser = new ErnParserController();
$ern = $parser->parse($xml_path);
$album = new SimpleAlbum($ern);

// Then you can access high level property of this album
$release_date = $album->getOriginalReleaseDate();
$artists_at_album_level = $album->getArtists();
$tracks_for_cd_1 = $album->getTracksPerCd()[1];

// You can also access exact XML mapping by getting 
// ddex objects at album or track level
$ddex_release = $album->getDdexRelease();
$ddex_release->getReleaseId()[0]->getICPN()->value(); // direct access
$ddex_track = $tracks_for_cd_1[1]->getDdexSoundRecording()->getDuration(); // direct access

Parse a file without XSD validation

use DedexBundle\Controller\ErnParserController;

$xml_path = "tests/samples/001_audioalbum_complete.xml";
$parser = new ErnParserController();
$ern = $parser->parse($xml_path);

// Then you can access properties of the ERN
$created_at = $ern->getMessageHeader()->getMessageCreatedDateTime();

Parse a file with XSD validation

XSD validation will load all XML and XSD in memory, making this library less efficient. Use with care. Is not adapted to gigantic files.

use DedexBundle\Controller\ErnParserController;

$xml_path = "tests/samples/001_audioalbum_complete.xml";
$parser = new ErnParserController();
$parser->setXsdValidation(true);
$ern = $parser->parse($xml_path);

Parse a file with Rules

use DedexBundle\Controller\ErnParserController;
use DedexBundle\Rule\AtLeastOneImage;
use DedexBundle\Exception\RuleValidationException;

$xml_path = "tests/samples/001_audioalbum_complete.xml";
$parser = new ErnParserController();
$parser->addRule(new AtLeastOneImage(Rule::LEVEL_ERROR));
// ... can add multiple rules one by one
// ... or multiple rules with $parser->addRuleSet([])
$ern = $parser->parse($xml_path);  // will raise an RuleValidationException if rule is broken

Parser config

Here are handy function from the parser.

$parser=new ErnParserController();

$parser->setDisplayLog(true);

Displays parsing logs. For debugging purpose mainly. (default: false)

$parser->setXsdValidation(true);

Validates XML against XSD. (default: false because will load XSD and XML in memory)

$parser->getRuleMessages();

Returns a formatted string (with new lines) of all the errors generated by the rule checking. To be called when parsing ended. If one of the ERROR rules fail, the parser will throw an exception with these messages. In the case of only WARNING raised during the parsing, this function is the only way to read them.

$parser->addRuleSet();

Will store a set of Rule (array). For example, each provider could be check with a specific rule set.

Standard updates

Official email in September 2024

From March 1, 2025, all the versions 3 as well as version 4.0 of the Electronic Release Notification standard, their respective profiles, and choreographies will no longer be supported. This means that from that date, no further updates, bug fixes, or AVS additions will be made to these versions of the ERN standard. Also, the XML schemas and all articles or implementation advice about ERN- 3 and ERN 4.0 will be removed from all DDEX websites. All schemas, standard texts, and supporting information about ERN -4.1, 4.2, and, of course, 4.3.1 will remain.