XML Editor¶

Last Updated: June 2026 | Version: 1.10.0

The XML Editor is the main feature of FreeXmlToolkit. It provides a powerful and easy-to-use interface for working with XML files.

Overview¶

XML Editor - Text Mode The XML Editor in text mode with syntax highlighting

XML Editor - Grid Mode The XML Editor in the Graphic view (grid) for structured editing

Button	Shortcut	Description
New	Ctrl+N	Create new XML document
Open	Ctrl+O	Open XML file
Save	Ctrl+S	Save current file
Save As	Ctrl+Shift+S	Save with new name
Save All	-	Save all open document tabs at once
Recent	Ctrl+Shift+R	Open recent files menu
Undo	Ctrl+Z	Undo last change
Redo	Ctrl+Y	Redo undone change
Add Favorite	Ctrl+D	Add file to favorites
Favorites	Ctrl+Shift+D	Toggle favorites panel
Format	Ctrl+Alt+F	Pretty print XML
Validate	F5	Validate XML
Convert	Ctrl+E	XML/Excel/CSV converter
Query	Ctrl+Q	Run XPath/XQuery
Templates	Ctrl+T	Open template manager
Generator	Ctrl+G	Schema generator
XSLT Dev	Ctrl+Shift+T	XSLT development panel
Properties	Ctrl+P	Toggle properties panel
XPath	Ctrl+Q	Toggle XPath panel
Help	F1	Show help

Working with Files¶

Opening and Saving Files¶

File Operations File toolbar with Open, Save, and New buttons

Open Files: Click "Open" or use Ctrl+O to browse for XML files
Save Files: Click "Save" or use Ctrl+S to save changes to the current file
Save As: Use Ctrl+Shift+S to save the current file with a new name
Save All: Click "Save All" to save every open document tab at once (untitled tabs prompt you for a file name)
Create New: Click "New" to start with an empty XML document
Drag & Drop: Drag files from your file explorer into the editor
Recent Files: Quick access to recently opened files

Multiple Files¶

Open multiple XML files in separate tabs. Each tab shows the file name and indicates unsaved changes with an asterisk (*).

Editing Modes¶

Text Mode¶

Text Mode Editing Text editor with syntax highlighting

The text editor provides:

Syntax Highlighting: XML elements, attributes, and values are color-coded
Line Numbers: Every line is numbered for easy reference
Code Folding: Click arrows to collapse or expand sections
Auto-Completion: Type < to see suggestions for valid elements
Error Highlighting: Invalid XML is highlighted in red
Edit Properties: Move the text cursor into an element and edit its properties in the Properties inspector - see Properties Inspector

Tree View¶

Tree view showing XML structure

See your XML document as a hierarchical tree
Click any node (element, text, comment, CDATA, or processing instruction) to select it
Edit the selected node's properties in the Properties inspector - see Properties Inspector
Right-click for context menu options

Graphic Mode (Grid)¶

Updated in June 2026 - The separate "Grid" view mode has been merged into the Graphic view. For XML documents, the Graphic view shows the editable XMLSpy-style grid.

XML Grid view in the Unified Shell An XML document in the Graphic view (XMLSpy-style grid editing)

The grid provides:

Table View: Edit XML data in a spreadsheet-like interface
Header Strip: A header at the top ("Grid view · nested · repeating elements as embedded grids") with a Collapse all button that folds every container at once
Value Markers: Rows with a simple value are marked with {}; collapsed containers show a "collapsed" hint
Direct Cell Editing: Click cells to edit values directly
Easy Navigation: Move through the document using arrow keys
Sorting: Sort data by clicking column headers
Structural Editing: Add, delete, and move nodes through the right-click context menu
Edit Properties: Select a row to edit its properties in the Properties inspector - see Properties Inspector

Properties Inspector¶

Updated in v1.10 - The Properties inspector now lets you view and edit a node's properties in all three XML views - Text, Tree, and Graphic. Previously, property editing was only available in the grid.

The Properties inspector shows the details of the currently selected node and lets you change them. Toggle the panel with Ctrl+P (or the Properties toolbar button); it appears on the right side of the editor.

Screenshot note: The existing XML editor screenshots predate this change. The Properties inspector now appears alongside the Text, Tree, and Graphic views (not only the grid).

Selecting a Node¶

How you select a node depends on the active view:

Text view - Move the text caret into an element. That element is selected automatically and shown in the inspector. If the caret is not inside a well-formed element, the inspector shows a read-only view with the node's name and XPath.
Tree view - Click a node in the tree (element, text, comment, CDATA, or processing instruction).
Graphic view - Select a row in the grid.

What You Can Edit¶

Depending on the node type, the inspector lets you edit:

Element name and its namespace (prefix and URI)
Attributes - add, rename, and remove them
Text content of leaf elements
Text of comments, CDATA sections, and processing instructions

Your edits are written straight back to the document, so the source text always stays in sync. In the Text view, edits are applied as a minimal change that keeps your caret and scroll position in place.

Read-Only Schema Hints¶

When the XML file is bound to an XSD schema, the inspector also shows helpful, read-only information for the selected element:

The schema type derived from the XSD
The element's documentation
Lists of valid child elements and example values

These hints help you fill in correct content but cannot be edited from the inspector.

Shared Across Views¶

All three views share a single in-memory model for each open document. This means your edits - and your full Undo / Redo history - are preserved when you switch between the Text, Tree, and Graphic views.

Note: Adding, deleting, or moving whole nodes (structural editing) is done in the Graphic view (the grid) via its right-click context menu. The Text and Tree views provide property editing through the inspector.

Search (Find)¶

Updated in v1.10 - Search now works in the Graphic view too, not just the text view.

Press Ctrl+F to find text in your document. A Find / Replace dialog opens where you type your search term and use the up and down arrows (Find Previous / Find Next) to move between matches; the search wraps around at the end.

Search works in both views (case-insensitive):

Text view - Matches are highlighted in the source. Replace is available here.
Graphic view - The search looks through element names, attribute names, and values across the whole document. The editor jumps to each matching node, auto-expanding collapsed parent nodes, selecting the matching row, and scrolling it into view. (Replace is not available in the Graphic view.)

If you switch between the Text and Graphic sub-tabs while the dialog is open, the search re-targets the active view automatically.

Learn more: Search (Find)

Auto-Completion (IntelliSense)¶

Auto-completion popup showing element suggestions

The editor automatically suggests valid elements and attributes based on your XSD schema:

Type < to see a list of valid child elements
Navigate through suggestions with arrow keys
Press Enter to insert the selected element
Press Escape to close the suggestions

The suggestions are context-sensitive - only elements valid at your current position are shown.

Learn more: Auto-Completion Guide

Binding an XSD Schema¶

New in June 2026 - Bind an XSD to the active document directly from the editor.

If your XML does not reference its schema (or you want to use a different one), you can bind an XSD by hand:

Click the "No XSD" indicator in the status bar (it shows "XSD: name" once a schema is bound), or use the toolbar's Set XSD Schema… action.
Choose an .xsd file.

The binding applies to the active document and drives both features at once:

IntelliSense - auto-completion suggests the elements and attributes the schema allows.
Schema validation - Validate (F5) and continuous validation check against the bound XSD.

Formatting Tools¶

Pretty Print¶

Pretty Print Before Before pretty print

Click Format or use Ctrl+Alt+F to format your XML with proper indentation.

Pretty Print After After pretty print

Validation¶

Validation Results Validation panel showing errors and warnings

How to Validate¶

Click Validate or press F5
If your XML references a schema, it's loaded automatically - or bind one yourself, see Binding an XSD Schema
Errors and warnings appear in the validation panel
Click an error to jump to the problem location

Supported Validation Methods¶

Method	Description
Well-Formed Check	Ensures basic XML syntax is correct
XSD Validation	Validates against XML Schema files
Schematron	Validates against business rules

Supported Schema Formats¶

Format	Support
XSD (XML Schema)	Full support (1.0 and 1.1)
Schematron	Full support
DTD	Not supported
RelaxNG	Not supported

XPath and XQuery¶

XPath Query XPath panel with query input and results

Use XPath and XQuery to find and extract data from your XML documents.

Using the XPath/XQuery Panel¶

Toggle the panel with Ctrl+Q or click the XPath button
Choose XPath or XQuery tab
Enter your expression
Click Execute Query
View results in the editor (matching nodes are highlighted)

XPath Examples¶

Expression	Description
`//element`	Find all elements named "element"
`//element/@attr`	Find all "attr" attributes on "element"
`/root/child[1]`	Find the first child of root
`count(//item)`	Count all item elements
`//text()`	Find all text nodes

XQuery Examples¶

Expression	Description
`for $x in //item return $x`	Return all items
`for $x in //item where $x/@id='1' return $x/name`	Filter and return

Use the Examples menu for quick insertion of common expressions.

XML/Excel/CSV Converter¶

Click Convert (Ctrl+E) to open the converter dialog:

XML to Excel: Export XML data to Excel spreadsheet
XML to CSV: Export XML data to CSV file
Excel to XML: Import Excel data as XML
CSV to XML: Import CSV data as XML

Templates¶

Click Templates (Ctrl+T) to access the template manager:

Insert pre-defined XML snippets
Create your own templates
Organize templates by category

Learn more: Template Management

Schema Generator¶

Click Generator (Ctrl+G) to generate an XSD schema from your XML:

Analyze XML structure
Generate matching XSD schema
Customize type detection

Favorites¶

Save frequently used files for quick access:

Add Favorite (Ctrl+D) - Save current file to favorites
Favorites (Ctrl+Shift+D) - Show/hide favorites panel

The favorites panel appears on the right side.

Learn more: Favorites System

Keyboard Shortcuts¶

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+N	New file
Ctrl+O	Open file
Ctrl+S	Save file
Ctrl+Shift+S	Save As
Ctrl+W	Close tab
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Y	Redo
Ctrl+F	Find
Ctrl+H	Replace
Ctrl+G	Go to line
Ctrl+D	Add to favorites
Ctrl+Shift+D	Toggle favorites
Ctrl+Alt+F	Format/Pretty Print
Ctrl+Q	Toggle XPath panel
Ctrl+E	XML/Excel converter
Ctrl+T	Templates
Ctrl++	Zoom in
Ctrl+-	Zoom out
F5	Validate
F1	Help
`<`	Open auto-completion

Tips¶

Multiple Files: Open multiple XML files in different tabs
Remember Location: The editor remembers the last folder you used
Font Size: Use Ctrl++ and Ctrl+- to adjust font size
Quick Validation: Errors are highlighted as you type
Drag & Drop: Drag files directly into the editor window
Recent Files: Use the Recent menu for quick access

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