php SimpleXML check if a child exists

Question

A->b->c might exist but c might not exist. How do I check it?

Answer 1

I solved it by using the children() function and doing a count() on it, ignoring an PHP error if there are no children by putting an @ before the count-call. This is stupid, but it works:

$identification = $xml->identification;
if (@count($identification->children()) == 0)
  $identification = $xml->Identification;

I hate this...