The output of the following script

    <?php
      // create new xml document
      $document = new_xmldoc( "1.0" );
    
      // add "root" element
      $root = $document->add_root( "root" );
    
      // set contents for "root" element
      $root->content = "contents of root";
    
      // output xml document
      print htmlspecialchars( $document->dumpmem() );
    ?>

  is

    <?xml version="1.0"?> <root/>

  and not

    <?xml version="1.0"?> <root> contents of root <root/> 

  as I'd expected it to be.