XSD Validation¶
Last Updated: June 2026 | Version: 1.10.0
Note (Phase 10c): The standalone XSD Validation tab has been retired. Validation — XSD and Schematron, single-file and batch — now lives in the Unified Shell's Validation activity panel. The capabilities below are unchanged; they are reached through the shell's Validation panel rather than a dedicated sidebar tab.
Validate your XML files against XSD schemas to check if documents follow the rules defined in the schema. Supports both single file and batch validation.
Overview¶
The XSD Validation tool provides two modes:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Single File | Validate one XML file at a time |
| Batch Validation | Validate multiple XML files at once |
XSD and Schematron validation now live in the Unified Shell's Validation activity panel
What Does It Check?¶
| Check | Description |
|---|---|
| Structure | Are elements in the right order? |
| Required Fields | Are all mandatory elements present? |
| Data Types | Are values the correct type (text, number, date)? |
| Constraints | Do values meet length, range, or pattern requirements? |
| XSD 1.1 Assertions | Do values pass custom assertion rules? |
Single File Validation¶
Use this mode to validate one XML file against a schema.
Step 1: Load Your Files¶
- Open the XML file in the editor (Ctrl+O, the Explorer, or drag & drop).
- Schema selection:
- Automatic: Schema references inside the XML (
xsi:schemaLocation) are found automatically. - Manual: Bind an XSD yourself - click the "No XSD" indicator in the status bar (or use the toolbar's Set XSD Schema… action), or pick a schema in the Validation panel's SOURCES section. The binding drives both validation and IntelliSense.
Step 2: Validate¶
Click Validate or press F5 to start validation.
Step 3: View Results¶
Results appear immediately:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green checkmark | Your XML is valid |
| Red X | Errors were found |
If validation fails, you'll see a list of errors with: - Error message - What's wrong - Line number - Where the problem is - Severity - Error, Warning, or Info
Click an error to see more details. When validating inside the Unified Shell, double-click an error to jump straight to its line in the Text view and the matching element in the Graphic view.
Batch Validation¶
Validate multiple XML files at once. Useful for testing entire folders of XML documents.
Batch validation with multiple files
XSD Mode Selection¶
Choose how schemas are determined for each file:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Auto-detect XSD per file | Each XML file uses its own referenced schema |
| Use same XSD for all files | All files are validated against a single schema you select |
Running Batch Validation¶
Updated in June 2026 - In the Validation panel's Batch mode, Run Validation now opens a small menu so you can pick files or a whole folder in one step.
- Open the Validation panel and switch the mode toggle to Batch.
- Click Run Validation and choose how to pick the files:
- Select XML files… - a file chooser where you select one or more XML files.
- Select folder… - a folder chooser; every
*.xmlfile in the folder and all of its subfolders is validated. - Watch progress while the files are validated.
Results¶
The RESULTS list shows one row per file:
| Indicator | Description |
|---|---|
| Status icon | Red ✕ = errors, orange ⚠ = warnings only, green ✓ = valid |
| File name | Name of the XML file |
| Badge | Number of problems found in that file |
Select a row to see that file's problems; double-click a row to open the file in the editor. A plain-text report of the run is available via the panel's ⋮ menu (Open last batch report).
Summary¶
The RESULTS header shows a summary of the run, for example:
and the panel's status line repeats it ("2 of 25 file(s) failed").
Exporting Results¶
Single File Export¶
Click Export in the toolbar to save errors to Excel.
Batch Export¶
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| Export All | Export all validation results to Excel |
| Export Selected | Export only the selected file's errors |
The Excel export includes: - File name and path - Error messages with line numbers - Schema used - Validation timestamp
Favorites Integration¶
Save frequently used XML and XSD files to favorites for quick access:
- Add Favorite (Ctrl+D) - Add current file to favorites
- Favorites (Ctrl+Shift+D) - Show/hide favorites panel
Toolbar Reference¶
| Button | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Open XML | - | Load XML file to validate |
| Open XSD | - | Load XSD schema manually |
| Validate | F5 | Start validation |
| Clear | - | Clear results |
| Export | - | Export to Excel |
| Add Favorite | Ctrl+D | Add to favorites |
| Favorites | Ctrl+Shift+D | Toggle favorites panel |
| Help | F1 | Show help |
Supported Standards¶
| Standard | Support |
|---|---|
| XSD 1.0 | Full support |
| XSD 1.1 (with assertions) | Full support |
The validation engine uses Xerces 2.12.2 with full XSD 1.1 support.
Tips¶
- Use Autodetect when your XML already references its schema via
xsi:schemaLocation - Use Batch Validation for testing multiple files efficiently
- Export to Excel when working with large documents or sharing results
- The Filter dropdown helps focus on files that need attention
- Double-click a file in the batch table to open it in the XML Editor
Keyboard Shortcuts¶
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| F5 | Start validation |
| Ctrl+D | Add to favorites |
| Ctrl+Shift+D | Toggle favorites |
| F1 | Help |
Navigation¶
| Previous | Home | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Profiled XML Generation | Home | XSLT Viewer |
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