A good XML editor saves the developer's nerves and makes the process of working with XML easy and enjoyable. That's how I thought when I started using the Altova XMLSpy editor. This program is definitely worth the money.
But the management set the task to find a free analogue. The search result is a short overview of free XML editors.
Requirements.
Working with XML / XSLT / XSD
- Convenient editor with hints and highlighting
- XSLT processor and debugger.
Free XML Editors
Overview
Exchanger XML Lite V3.2. There are problems with the installation. The installation went almost to the end and froze. It's a pity. According to the description on the site, it has a very rich set of functions.
EditiX Lite Version. Good editor. Is able to do XSLT transformations. But hints are displayed in the form of highlighting similar parts of the code, rather than a drop-down list and a table view of the document.
Serna Free. I liked this editor least of all. It hides XML tags and is terribly slow. It's not very convenient to work. 
XML Marker. I liked it very much. Shows XML in an editable table. It's a pity there are no hints and the ability to do XSLT transformations. 
XMLPad. I liked it the most. Shows XML in tabular and tree view. There are hints. It is possible to do XSLT transformations. 
Comparison
conclusions
None of the free editors reviewed can completely replace a good paid editor. XMLPad meets the requirements most of all. But XML Marker can simultaneously edit the code and see the result in tabular form.
P.S. Dear readers, if you know a good free editor, then write in the comments. I am pleased to supplement the review.
UPD. Big overview of XML editors "Choosing an XML editor"
UPD. Letters from readers.
Good afternoon Alexander,
I am not a member of the "Habrahabr" community, therefore, with your permission, I respond by mail to your post.
I would like to note that your review of the Syntext Serna editor in the context of an XML file editor is absolutely incorrect.
The main purpose of Syntext Serna is not to edit XML configs or create XML Scheme and XSLT files, but
Visual creation and support of XML documentation (such as DocBook or DITA). That is why "It hides XML tags" (quote), because
the main user of the editor is a technical writer who does not need to have a deep knowledge of XML and
moreover, to make mistakes in unbalanced tags. If you need to edit an XML document in non-visual mode,
then for these purposes there is a "Plain mode" in Syntext Serna.
If possible, I will be grateful if you post this remark in your post.
Thank you,
--
With best regards,
Andrew Sichevoi, thekondor.net
With such an extension? These and other similar questions can often be found among users visiting various forums dedicated to web design and programming languages. But first, you need to figure out what an XML document is, what structure it has and what it is intended for.
Appointment
An XML document is a hierarchical structure that contains both the data itself and its description. Due to the fact that it is a simple text file, it is independent of the operating system used and can be created using any programming language. Its extraordinary flexibility makes it possible to describe any data you want. One of the important advantages of XML documents is that they are easy to read not only by programs - even a person can figure out what information is in the file. The use of XML is actively promoted by many serious companies such as Borland, Microsoft, Sun and others. All universal programming languages have libraries to support this format. In new versions of various DBMS, it is possible to obtain data using standard queries in the form of an XML file. This language is supported by internet servers and all popular internet browsers. Transferring XML data to dynamic pages significantly increases the speed of applications that interact with databases.
Structure
If you open the file in XML format, you can easily see that it looks a lot like a standard HTML page. It also contains instructions (or tags) that are enclosed in angle brackets and mark up the main text of the document, as well as define its elements, their attributes and other language constructs. Each XML file necessarily begins with an instruction, which may contain information about the language version number, code page, and other parameters that are required by the parser program to parse the document.
XML format - how to open
So, let's move on to the main question. Now you know what XML-format is, we will tell you how to open it later. The easiest way to do this is with the standard Notepad application. However, in this case, the user will need certain knowledge of the XML language (at least - what certain tags are responsible for), since opening the file in this text editor, you will see just a bunch of lines of code and, in fact, the text. For those users who are not good at this or want to immediately see the results of editing, we recommend using special programs. Despite their huge selection and different levels of implementation, they all work in about the same way. The difference is only in functionality, that is, in the set of available tools. As a working tool for editing XML files, we recommend using the free Serna Free editor. It is quite powerful and at the same time convenient open source program. By choosing it, you can easily make an article, book, white paper, and more. Creating and editing an XML file using this editor is a lot like word processing and does not require a deep knowledge of the markup language from the user. In addition, there are additional features of Serna Free, such as the presence of XSLT and XSL-PO-styles, which provide a close-to-real display of the document, as well as the ability to consistently display XML-files composed of a large number of parts.
Conclusion
So, we figured out what an XML format is, how to open and edit such files. With the help of special software, you can easily create texts of any complexity, mark them up, create your own elements, as well as their attributes in accordance with your document requirements.
A good XML editor saves the developer's nerves and makes the process of working with XML easy and enjoyable. That's how I thought when I started using the Altova XMLSpy editor. This program is definitely worth the money.
But the management set the task to find a free analogue. The search result is a short overview of free XML editors.
Requirements.
Working with XML / XSLT / XSD
- Convenient editor with hints and highlighting
- XSLT processor and debugger.
Free XML Editors
Overview
Exchanger XML Lite V3.2. There are problems with the installation. The installation went almost to the end and froze. It's a pity. According to the description on the site, it has a very rich set of functions.
EditiX Lite Version. Good editor. Is able to do XSLT transformations. But hints are displayed in the form of highlighting similar parts of the code, rather than a drop-down list and a table view of the document.
Serna Free. I liked this editor least of all. It hides XML tags and is terribly slow. It's not very convenient to work.
XML Marker. I liked it very much. Shows XML in an editable table. It's a pity there are no hints and the ability to do XSLT transformations.
XMLPad. I liked it the most. Shows XML in tabular and tree view. There are hints. It is possible to do XSLT transformations.
Comparison
conclusions
None of the free editors reviewed can completely replace a good paid editor. XMLPad meets the requirements most of all. But XML Marker can simultaneously edit the code and see the result in tabular form.
P.S. Dear readers, if you know a good free editor, then write in the comments. I am pleased to supplement the review.
UPD. Big overview of XML editors "Choosing an XML editor"
UPD. Letters from readers.
Good afternoon Alexander,
I am not a member of the "Habrahabr" community, therefore, with your permission, I respond by mail to your post.
I would like to note that your review of the Syntext Serna editor in the context of an XML file editor is absolutely incorrect.
The main purpose of Syntext Serna is not to edit XML configs or create XML Scheme and XSLT files, but
Visual creation and support of XML documentation (such as DocBook or DITA). That is why "It hides XML tags" (quote), because
the main user of the editor is a technical writer who does not need to have a deep knowledge of XML and
moreover, to make mistakes in unbalanced tags. If you need to edit an XML document in non-visual mode,
then for these purposes there is a "Plain mode" in Syntext Serna.
If possible, I will be grateful if you post this remark in your post.
Thank you,
--
With best regards,
Andrew Sichevoi, thekondor.net
This section offers for downloading the program XML Converter / XML Constructor / XML Reports / Just Sign / XML Contact - Rosreestr.
Examples of generating electronic versions of documents using XML Constructor programs and their printed counterparts using XML Reporting programs can be downloaded in the section. We also suggest looking at the section in which you will find various free utilities, libraries, and more.
XML Converter Program configured to convert XML files / documents of Rosreestr such as cadastral extracts, cadastral plans of the territory into other convenient formats, such as MIF / MID, DXF, CSV, TXT, HTML.
XML Constructor Program is configured to create electronic versions in XML format, such documents for cadastral activities as land-surveying plans, technical plans, a map (plan), etc., as well as notifications on the pledge of movable property and notifications in accordance with the FATCA law.
XML Reports Program is configured to convert electronic documents for cadastral activities such as landmarks, technical plans, map (plan) into the corresponding printed (paper) counterparts.
Simple Sign Program is designed to create and verify electronic digital signatures (EDS).
XML program Contact-Rosreestr designed to interact with the Rosreestr web service, i.e. creating applications for cadastral registration of land plots and real estate objects, requests for cadastral information, obtaining results for these applications and requests.
All programs (except for Just Sign and XML Contact-Rosreestr) have a 30-day demo mode that allows you to use the functionality of the programs without restrictions. After the expiration of the demo mode, you must either purchase the full versions of the programs, or stop using them. The program Just Sign is free and has no restrictions on its use. The XML Contact-Rosreestr program is in beta testing and is currently free to use.
IMPORTANT! To convert with the program XML Converter or XML Constructor XML files of large size, you need to download and install an external XQuery query processor and specify it in the appropriate field of the program before converting it. There are currently two free request handlers supported, AltovaXML 2010 (developed by www.altova.com) and Saxon-HE 9.5 (developed by www.saxonica.com). You can download them from the manufacturer's website or from this website using the links below:
IMPORTANT! Before you start working with the programs, you must read the instructions. This is especially important for the XML Constructor program, because before starting work it is necessary to understand the principle of operation of this program. Instructions are located in the same folder as the executable file of the program, that is, for the XML Constructor in the folder "c: \ ProgramFiles \ XMLCON \ XMLConstructor \ XMLConstructor-help.rtf". You can call the instruction through a shortcut from the main menu of Windows programs, that is, for XML Constructor "Start-> Programs-> XMLConstructor-> XML Constructor - Instruction". For the XML Constructor program, the instruction is also available through the Help menu.
Having recorded a video yesterday about uploading the RSV-1 report, I remembered one more detail that is worth talking about in connection with this topic.
It is no secret that the file number that is generated when the RSV-1 is unloaded from the Accounting Department or USN 7.7 is increased by "1" with each new unloading:
And if the numbers of the packs of the personalized report are, for example, "4" and "5", then we would like the number of the PCV-1 file to be "6". How to do it? The fact is that it is not enough just to rename the file by correcting the number in the file name. After all, the file number is registered in the file itself. This can be easily checked: if you click on the file with the xml extension, it will open for viewing by the Explorer program (or some other, depending on the settings of your operating system):
So, first we fix the file name. In our case, replace "21" with "06". And to fix the content - we will use the "Notepad" program, which is on any computer. The point is that the "xml" file is a simple text file that can be easily corrected with notepad. Right-click on the file and in the context menu that opens, select "Open with" and select "notepad" from the list of programs that appears.
If there is no notebook in the list of programs, then select the "Select program" item:
And in the "Program Selection" window that appears, select the notepad and click "OK".
Now, in the notepad, change the number in the file name (for example, "21" to "06") and close the notepad with saving. That's all. Can be taken to the Pension Fund 🙂
In conclusion, I would like to note that the described method is applicable for small changes in small files. If you have to frequently edit xml files - find some special editor with syntax highlighting and Unicode support. This will greatly reduce the likelihood of possible errors.
