Favorites System¶
Version: 1.10.0
Save your frequently used files for quick access. The favorites system works across all editors in FreeXmlToolkit.
Overview¶
The Favorites panel with Smart Collections, Categories, Projects, and Templates & Snippets
The favorites system helps you quickly access the files you use most often. Save any file as a favorite and open it with one click from any editor.
Key Features¶
Quick Access¶
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Works Everywhere | Access favorites from any editor |
| File Recognition | Automatically detects file types (XML, XSD, etc.) |
| One-Click Loading | Open files instantly |
Organization¶
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Custom Categories | Create folders like "Project Files", "Templates", "Schemas" |
| Easy Management | Create, rename, and delete categories |
| Mixed Files | Store different file types in the same category |
File Information¶
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Custom Names | Give favorites easy-to-remember names |
| Descriptions | Add notes about what each file is for |
| File Icons | Quickly see file types at a glance |
Grouped by File Type (Unified Shell)¶
The Favorites panel in the Unified Shell (star icon in the activity bar) groups your favorites by file type - for example XML Document, JSON Document, XSD Schema, Schematron Rules, and XSLT Stylesheet. Each entry shows a colored type icon, so you can tell the file kinds apart at a glance. Click an entry to open it as an editor tab.
Keystore and trust store files (.jks, .p12, .pfx, .keystore)
are recognized as their own Keystore type with a lock icon - they form their own group in the Favorites panel and feed the keystore
star menus in the Signature panel (see below).
Star Menus in the Side Panels¶
Wherever a side panel asks you to pick a file, a star button next to the row's Change link opens a quick-select menu of your matching favorites - pick one to use it in a single click, without browsing the file system:
| Panel | Row | Favorites Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Validation | XSD schema | XSD favorites |
| Validation | Schematron rules | Schematron favorites |
| Validation | JSON Schema (shown for JSON documents) | JSON favorites |
| Transform | STYLESHEET / INPUT | XSLT / XML favorites |
| PDF / FOP | XML input / XSL-FO stylesheet | XML / XSLT favorites |
| Signature | Keystore (KEYSTORE section) | Keystore favorites |
| Signature | Trust store (Expert Mode) | Keystore favorites |
The menu is rebuilt each time you open it, so newly added favorites appear immediately. When you use more than one favorites folder, the entries are grouped by folder as submenus. While you have no matching favorites, the star button is grayed out.
How to Use¶
Adding Files to Favorites¶
- Open a file in any editor
- Click the star button in the toolbar
- Fill in the form:
- Name: A descriptive name (auto-filled with filename)
- Category: Choose or create a category
- Description: Optional notes about the file
Opening Favorites¶
- Open the "Favorites" activity from the activity bar on the left
- Browse categories if you have multiple
- Click any file to open it immediately
Managing Favorites¶
The favorites menu includes: - Remove missing files - Clean up favorites that point to deleted files - Edit favorites - Change names, categories, or descriptions
Tips¶
Organization Ideas¶
| Strategy | Description |
|---|---|
| By Project | Create a category for each project |
| By Type | Organize by file type ("Schemas", "Templates") |
| By Frequency | "Daily Use", "Archive" |
Best Practices¶
- Use descriptive names that make sense to you
- Add descriptions for complex files
- Clean up favorites regularly when files are moved or deleted
Supported File Types¶
| Type | Extension |
|---|---|
| XML documents | .xml |
| JSON documents (incl. JSON Schemas) | .json, .jsonc, .json5 |
| XSD schemas | .xsd |
| Schematron rules | .sch |
| XSLT stylesheets | .xsl, .xslt |
| Keystores / trust stores | .jks, .p12, .pfx, .keystore |
Auto-Populated Categories¶
Some optional features add their own files to your Favorites automatically:
| Category | Source |
|---|---|
| FundsXML Examples | Sample XML documents (and the examples folder) downloaded by the FundsXML Extensions feature |
| FundsXML Schema | The active FundsXML XSD schema |
| FundsXML Schematron | Schematron rule files downloaded by the FundsXML Extensions feature |
| FundsXML XSLT | XSLT stylesheets shipped with the FundsXML examples |
These categories are created automatically: right after you enable the FundsXML feature (the content downloads in the background - no manual download step needed) and again on every application start, when they are re-registered from the on-disk cache.
Navigation¶
| Previous | Home | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Schema Support | Home | Templates |
All Pages: Unified Shell | XML Editor | XML Features | JSON Editor | XSD Tools | Profiled XML Generation | XSD Validation | XSLT Viewer | XSLT Developer | FOP/PDF | Signatures | IntelliSense | Schematron | FundsXML Extensions | Favorites | Templates | Tech Stack | Security | Licenses