FreeXmlToolkit

Schematron Support

Last Updated: November 2025 Version: 1.0.0

Schematron lets you create custom validation rules that go beyond what XSD schemas can check. It’s perfect for validating business rules and data relationships.

What is Schematron?

Schematron Overview Screenshot placeholder: Schematron validation interface

While XSD schemas check the structure of your XML (which elements can appear where), Schematron checks the content and relationships:

XSD Checks	Schematron Checks
Element names	Data values
Element order	Field relationships
Required fields	Business rules
Data types	Conditional requirements

Example Rules

“If status is ‘approved’, an approval date must be present”
“The total must equal the sum of all line items”
“Each ID must be unique in the document”

Key Features

1. Visual Rule Builder

Screenshot placeholder: Visual rule builder interface

Create validation rules without writing code:

Drag-and-drop interface
Pre-built templates for common rules
Test rules against sample files

2. Real-time Validation

Screenshot placeholder: Validation results panel

Errors appear as you edit
Clear error messages tell you what’s wrong
Click errors to jump to the problem location

3. Integration with XML Editor

Use Schematron validation directly in the XML Editor:

Open an XML file
Select a Schematron file in the sidebar
Enable continuous validation
Errors are highlighted automatically

How to Use Schematron

Creating Rules

Creating Rules Screenshot placeholder: Rule creation interface

Open the Schematron tab
Create a new Schematron file
Define your rules using the visual builder
Save the file

Validating Documents

Open your XML file
Load the Schematron rules file
View validation results
Fix any errors shown

Example Schematron Rule

Here’s what a simple Schematron rule looks like:

<schema xmlns="http://purl.oclc.org/dsdl/schematron">
    <pattern>
        <rule context="invoice">
            <assert test="@date">
                Every invoice must have a date
            </assert>
            <assert test="sum(item/price) = total">
                Total must equal sum of item prices
            </assert>
        </rule>
    </pattern>
</schema>