Converting Simple XML to JSON in Python

Converting simple XML to JSON with some Google like extensions (http://code.google.com/apis/gdata/docs/json.html) like $t for text content and replace ‘:’ in element name with ‘$’. It is fairly simple here is how I do it.

import xml.parsers.expat
import sys,string

# 3 handler functions
def start_element(name, attrs):
    #sys.stdout.write 'Start element:', name, attrs
	sys.stdout.write('{"'+string.replace(name,':','$')+'":{')
	for attr in attrs.keys():
		sys.stdout.write('"'+attr+'":"'+attrs[attr]+'",')
def end_element(name):
    #sys.stdout.write 'End element:', name
	sys.stdout.write('}')
def char_data(data):
    #sys.stdout.write 'Character data:', repr(data)
	if data and (data!=""):
		sys.stdout.write( '"$t":{"'+data+'"}' )

p = xml.parsers.expat.ParserCreate()

p.StartElementHandler = start_element
p.EndElementHandler = end_element
p.CharacterDataHandler = char_data

p.Parse("""<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ns:parent id="top"><child1 name="paul">Text goes here</child1><child2 name="fred">More text</child2></ns:parent>""", 1)