Staaarter Tools

List to XML Converter

Splits a list on a configurable separator and wraps each item as an <item> element inside a root <list> element, escaping XML's five predefined entities (&, <, >, ", ') so item text is always well-formed. A free online tool from Staaarter, right in your browser.

Runs locallyUpdated 2026-07-27
listconversionxml

Overview

Introduction

Converting a plain list into well-formed XML markup means wrapping every item in tags and remembering to escape ampersands, angle brackets, and quotes by hand.

This tool automates that: paste a list, and get back a ready-to-use <list><item>...</item></list> structure with escaping handled for you.

What Is List to XML Converter?

A converter that formats a plain delimited list as simple XML: a root <list> element containing one <item> child per list entry.

It's the inverse of XML to List Converter, which extracts a plain list back out of this same <item> element structure.

How List to XML Converter Works

The input is split into items using the selected separator, blank items are filtered out, and each item's &, <, >, ", and ' characters are escaped to XML's predefined entities.

Each escaped item is wrapped in `<item>...</item>`, and the resulting lines are nested inside a root `<list>...</list>` element.

When To Use List to XML Converter

Use it whenever a downstream system expects list data as simple XML rather than JSON, CSV, or plain text.

It pairs naturally with XML to List Converter for round-tripping a list through an XML-based workflow or config file.

Often used alongside XML to List Converter, List to HTML List Converter and List to LaTeX List Converter.

Features

Advantages

  • Automatically escapes XML's predefined entities, avoiding malformed markup from ampersands or angle brackets in your data.
  • Produces a simple, predictable structure that's easy to parse back out with any XML tool, including the companion XML to List Converter.
  • Preserves item order exactly as split from the input list.

Limitations

  • Produces a flat, single-level structure only; it can't represent nested or attribute-based XML data.
  • No XML declaration or namespace is included, add one manually if your target system requires it.

Examples

A simple newline list

Input

apple
banana
cherry

Output

<list>
  <item>apple</item>
  <item>banana</item>
  <item>cherry</item>
</list>

Each of the three items becomes its own <item> element inside the root <list> element.

Escaping a special character

Input

Fish & Chips

Output

<list>
  <item>Fish &amp; Chips</item>
</list>

The ampersand is escaped to &amp; so the element's content stays well-formed XML.

Best Practices & Notes

Best Practices

  • Add an XML declaration (`<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>`) before the output yourself if your consumer requires one.
  • Round-trip through XML to List Converter to confirm a conversion matches your original list exactly.

Developer Notes

Escaping runs `&` first (so it doesn't double-escape entities introduced by later replacements), then `<`, `>`, `"`, and `'`, covering exactly the five characters the XML 1.0 spec designates as needing escaping in element content and attribute values.

List to XML Converter Use Cases

  • Producing a simple XML list for a config file or legacy system that expects <item> elements
  • Converting a list into XML before feeding it to an XSLT transform or XML-based pipeline
  • Preparing test fixture data in XML format from a plain list

Common Mistakes

  • Expecting a full XML document with a declaration and namespace, this tool only outputs the <list> element fragment.
  • Assuming nested structure is supported; every item becomes one flat, single-level <item> element.

Tips

  • Use XML to List Converter to reverse the conversion and get your plain list back.
  • Use List to Excel Converter instead if your target is a spreadsheet rather than XML markup.

References

Frequently Asked Questions