Editing an XML Document

The IDE provides two ways of editing XML files:

Editing an XML Document in the XML Editor

The XML editor is a two-panel window that displays in the Source Editor. The XML editor displays an XML document as a hierarchical set of nodes in the left panel and displays the properties of the selected node in the right panel.

tip The XML editor becomes unresponsive when working with large XML documents. If you need to edit an XML document that is larger than 100K, use the Source Editor instead.

To open a file in the XML Editor:

You can select any node to edit its contents in the right panel of the editor. You can also edit the document by right-clicking its nodes and choosing commands from the contextual menu. You can use these commands to perform any of the following actions:

Editing an XML Document in the Source Editor

For XML documents, the Source Editor provides such features as syntax coloring, indentation, and basic code completion for elements such as end tags and standard entity references.

If your XML file has an associated DTD, you can also use code completion to automatically add the names of any supported element, attribute, or entity. As you type, a combo box displays all matching elements in the DTD. Press Enter to enter only the element name, or press Shift-Enter to enter a start tag and end tag for the element.

To open a file in the Source Editor:

tip The Source Editor toolbar contains shortcuts to the most commonly used XML commands. To disable the Source Editor toolbar, choose Tools and choosing Options and expand the Editing node. Then select the Editor Settings node and set the Toolbar Visible property.
See also
Creating an XML Document
XML Nodes in the Explorer
DTD Nodes in the Explorer
Validating an XML Document
Changing the Display of XML Nodes

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