Unlike XML → JSON (which NetSuite can handle with N/xml), converting JSON → XML in SuiteScript has no built-in function.
This means you must manually:

1. Parse the JSON
2. Recursively build XML nodes
3. Escape XML-unsafe characters
4. Handle nested objects and arrays

This guide walks you through a clean, reusable approach that works in SuiteScript 2.0 / 2.1, and is ideal for integrations like:

• EDI mappings
• SOAP API requests
• Legacy ERP connections
• XML-based 3PL integrations
• Custom export files

1. Parse the JSON String

If your JSON data comes as a string (common in API responses or file imports), start by parsing it:

var jsonString = '{"name": "John Doe", "age": 30, "city": "New York"}';
var jsonObject = JSON.parse(jsonString);

This gives you a normal JavaScript object that can be converted to XML.

2. Core JSON → XML Conversion Function

Below is a reusable SuiteScript-friendly function that converts:

• Simple key/value pairs
• Nested objects
• Arrays of objects
• Arrays of primitive values
• Mixed structures

SuiteScript JSON-to-XML Converter

function jsonToXml(obj, rootName) {
    var xml = '<' + rootName + '>';

    for (var key in obj) {
        if (obj.hasOwnProperty(key)) {

            var value = obj[key];

            // Nested object
            if (typeof value === 'object' && value !== null && !Array.isArray(value)) {
                xml += jsonToXml(value, key);

            // Array of values or objects
            } else if (Array.isArray(value)) {
                value.forEach(function (item) {
                    xml += jsonToXml(item, key);
                });

            // Primitive values
            } else {
                xml += '<' + key + '>' + escapeXml(String(value)) + '</' + key + '>';
            }
        }
    }

    xml += '</' + rootName + '>';
    return xml;
}

3. Escape XML Special Characters

XML cannot contain these raw characters:

Here’s the function to safely escape them:

function escapeXml(unsafe) {
    return unsafe.replace(/[<>&'"]/g, function(c) {
        switch (c) {
            case '<': return '<';
            case '>': return '>';
            case '&': return '&';
            case '\'': return ''';
            case '"': return '"';
        }
    });
}

Use this before adding any value to XML.

4. Full Working Example

var jsonString = '{"name":"John Doe","age":30,"city":"New York"}';
var jsonObject = JSON.parse(jsonString);

var xmlString = jsonToXml(jsonObject, 'RootElement');

// Output:
// <RootElement>
//   <name>John Doe</name>
//   <age>30</age>
//   <city>New York</city>
// </RootElement>

You can now send xmlString in a SOAP request or store it in NetSuite.

5. Handling Complex JSON Structures

This solution supports:

✔ Nested JSON Objects

{
  "employee": {
     "name": "John",
     "address": {
         "street": "123 Main",
         "city": "Toronto"
     }
  }
}

✔ Arrays

{
  "items": [
      { "sku": "A01", "qty": 2 },
      { "sku": "A02", "qty": 1 }
  ]
}

Result:

<Root>
  <items><sku>A01</sku><qty>2</qty></items>
  <items><sku>A02</sku><qty>1</qty></items>
</Root>

✔ Mixed Types

Works automatically.

Important Considerations

1. XML Schema Requirements

If your target system has strict XML formatting rules (EDI, banking, government APIs), adjust:

• Element names
• Attribute format
• Node ordering

2. Performance

For very large JSON payloads (e.g., 10,000 lines):

• Use Map/Reduce
• Avoid unnecessary recursion
• Build strings efficiently

3. Data Integrity

Always apply escapeXml() to avoid malformed XML.

Where This Is Used in Real Integrations

✔ EDI (850, 856, 810, 870)
✔ Salesforce → NetSuite custom XML exports
✔ Boomi and Celigo hybrid flows
✔ 3PL shipping label integrations
✔ Vendor/bank API payloads
✔ Custom XML audit logs
✔ Legacy ERP data migrations

Related Guides (Add Internal Links)

• NetSuite Scripting Tutorial
• JSON/XML Parsing