An XML Viewer is a tool designed for examining, navigating, and editing the contents of XML files in a flexible and user-friendly way. It helps developers and technical users understand XML structure, inspect data, and make controlled modifications to XML documents.
In addition to viewing XML files, an XML Viewer allows users to perform various editing and navigation operations without manually editing raw XML code.
Key Features of an XML Viewer
An XML Viewer provides several useful features for working with XML documents, including:
- Inserting new elements into an XML document
- Deleting existing elements
- Adding properties to specified elements
- Removing properties from specified elements
Many XML Viewer tools also support drag-and-drop functionality, making file manipulation faster and more intuitive.
User Interface and Navigation
XML Viewers typically offer a clean and user-friendly interface. Documents are displayed in a tree structure, allowing users to expand and collapse elements to explore the XML hierarchy.
The XML Viewer component enables users to browse documents available in applications such as XML browsers or data exchange tools. Elements can be easily selected and inspected
without scrolling through large XML files manually.
Selecting Elements Using XPath Expressions
One of the most powerful features of an XML Viewer is the ability to select elements using XPath expressions.
Users can define XPath expressions in the toolbar and click the Select button. The matching elements are highlighted and automatically expanded in the document tree.
Only elements can be selected using XPath. Selecting strings or attributes alone does not return any results.
XPath Example Without a Namespace
/root/parentelement/childelement
XPath Example With a Namespace Prefix
/pfx:root/pfx:parentelement/pfx:childelement
XPath Example With a Default Namespace
/*[local-name()='root']/*[local-name()='parentelement']/*[local-name()='childelement']
When an element is selected, its XPath expression is displayed in the XPath field, and the universal name of the element appears in the status bar.
Customizing the Display
XML Viewers allow users to control how much information is displayed while browsing. For example, users may choose to:
- Display only element names without attributes
- Hide namespace information to reduce visual clutter
- Show elements and attributes without namespace prefixes
These options make it easier to focus on structure rather than implementation details.
XML Schema Viewer Service
Many XML Viewers include an XML Schema Viewer service, such as the eXchaNGer XML Browser, which allows users to browse, test, and analyze XML Schema (XSD) documents.
The schema is displayed in a tree view, making it easy to understand schema structure and relationships between elements.
Supported XML Schema Structures
The XML Schema Viewer supports common XML Schema components, including:
- Elements and attributes
- Groups and attribute groups
- Model groups such as all, sequence, and choice
Detailed information about the selected schema element or structure is always available to the user.
XML Schema Viewer Layout
The XML Schema Viewer window is typically divided into three main sections:
Main Area
The main area displays all elements, attributes, and models defined in the schema.
Top Right Panel
This panel shows detailed information about the currently selected element, attribute, or model.
Bottom Right Panel
The bottom right panel provides reference information:
- The Refs tab shows which elements reference the selected element or attribute
- The Subs tab shows elements that can substitute the selected element
Conclusion
An XML Viewer is an essential tool for anyone working with XML documents. It simplifies navigation, editing, and validation of XML and XML Schema files, making XML processing more efficient and less error-prone.