xml-disassembler

Disassemble large XML files into smaller, modular files in formats like XML, INI, JSON, JSON5, TOML, or YAML—then reassemble them as needed.

Designed for improved version control, cleaner diffs, and easier team collaboration when dealing with complex XML structures.

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Features

• Disassemble XML Files – Break down XML into smaller components.
• Reassemble XML – Rebuild the original XML from disassembled parts.
• Multiple Output Formats – Choose XML, INI, JSON, JSON5, TOML, or YAML.
• Two Disassembly Strategies – Choose between unique-id (default) or grouped-by-tag.
• Ignore Rules – Exclude files from processing using an ignore file.
• Logging – Log errors and debug information using log4js.
• Salesforce Integration – Supports use cases like Salesforce metadata processing.

Note: Reassembly guarantees element-level fidelity, but element order may vary—especially when using TOML.

Table of Contents

• Background
• Install
• Disassembling Files
• Disassembly Strategies
  • unique-id (default)
  • grouped-by-tag
• Reassembling Files
• Use Case
• Ignore File
• XML Parser
• Logging
• Contributing
• Template

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Background

Managing large XML files—especially those generated by tools—can be painful. xml-disassembler solves this by splitting them into digestible pieces, optimized for Git diffs and team workflows.

No need for complex diffing tools—just structured directories with format-flexible files.

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Install

Install the package using NPM:

npm install xml-disassembler

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Disassembling Files

import { DisassembleXMLFileHandler } from "xml-disassembler";

const handler = new DisassembleXMLFileHandler();
await handler.disassemble({
  filePath: "test/baselines/general",
  uniqueIdElements:
    "application,apexClass,name,externalDataSource,flow,object,apexPage,recordType,tab,field",
  prePurge: true,
  postPurge: true,
  ignorePath: ".xmldisassemblerignore",
  format: "json",
  strategy: "unique-id",
});

Option	Description
filePath	Path to the XML file or directory
uniqueIdElements	Comma-separated list of UID elements for naming nested files
prePurge	Delete previous disassembly output before running (true or false, default false)
postPurge	Delete the original XML after disassembly (true or false, default false)
ignorePath	Path to the ignore file (default .xmldisassemblerignore)
format	Output format: xml, ini, json, json5, toml, yaml
strategy	Disassembly strategy: unique-id or grouped-by-tag

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Disassembly Strategies

unique-id (default)

This is the strategy all previous versions of the xml-disassembler follow.

Each nested element is written to a separate file based on its unique identifier—or a SHA-256 hash fallback. Leaf elements remain grouped in a file named after the original XML.

Best for detailed diffs and granular version control.

Example Outputs

Format	UID Example	Hash Example
XML
YAML
JSON
JSON5
TOML
INI

grouped-by-tag

Groups all nested elements by tag into a single file. Leaf elements still go into a base file named after the original XML.

Best for fewer files and easier manual inspection.

Example Outputs

Format	Grouped by Tag Example
XML
YAML
JSON
JSON5
TOML
INI

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Reassembling Files

import { ReassembleXMLFileHandler } from "xml-disassembler";

const handler = new ReassembleXMLFileHandler();
await handler.reassemble({
  filePath: "test/baselines/general/HR_Admin",
  fileExtension: "permissionset-meta.xml",
  postPurge: true,
});

Option	Description
filePath	Directory containing disassembled files to reassemble
fileExtension	Extension for the output XML file (default: .xml)
postPurge	Delete disassembled files after successful reassembly (true or false, default false)

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Use Case

See sf-decomposer for a Salesforce CLI use case.

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Ignore File

Create an ignore file, similar to a .gitignore, to exclude XMLs from disassembly.

uses node-ignore

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XML Parser

Uses fast-xml-parser with support for:

• Character Data (CDATA): "![CDATA["
• Comments: "!---"
• Attributes: "@__**"

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Logging

Logging uses log4js. Logs are written to disassemble.log.

import { setLogLevel } from "xml-disassembler";

setLogLevel("debug"); // Enables verbose logging

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See Contributing.

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Template

This project was created from a template by Allan Oricil.

His original license remains in this project.