XML editor without tags

[Anupam]

Hello,
I have an XML schema that I would like my users to use. However, I do not
want them to use XML tags in an XML editor or a plain text editor to create
the file.
Is there some commercial/open source editor that gives the ability to the
users to create XML document without tags, but with GUI elements based on
the schema? I'm not sure why I didn't find anything like that in my search,
suerly I'm missing something.

Thanks,
Anupam.

 

[Manuel Collado]

Anupam escribió:

Hello,
I have an XML schema that I would like my users to use. However, I do not
want them to use XML tags in an XML editor or a plain text editor to create
the file.
Is there some commercial/open source editor that gives the ability to the
users to create XML document without tags, but with GUI elements based on
the schema? I'm not sure why I didn't find anything like that in my search,
suerly I'm missing something.

XXE - XMLmind XML Editor

http://www.xmlmind.com/xmleditor/

For a custom XML schema, you just must provide an appropriate CSS.

Regards.

 

[Peter Flynn]

Hello,
I have an XML schema that I would like my users to use. However, I do not
want them to use XML tags in an XML editor or a plain text editor to create
the file.
Is there some commercial/open source editor that gives the ability to the
users to create XML document without tags, but with GUI elements based on
the schema? I'm not sure why I didn't find anything like that in my search,
suerly I'm missing something.

All the big XML editors have a near-WYSIWYG mode for authoring. However,
you need to do some careful design in your Schema/DTD to make sure that
things occur in an expected manner so that the users don't get confused
by ambiguity.

My research into editing interfaces for document applications indicates
that there really are *no* editors available that you can hand to a
non-XML person and say "right, go ahead and create a document" unaided
and untrained. They are currently all aimed at document creation by
people who have a fairly full understanding of structure, markup,
containment, and nesting.

I would welcome the opportunity to meet any manufacturer who would like
to prove me wrong on this.

///Peter

 

[Joe Kesselman]

Is there some commercial/open source editor that gives the ability to the
users to create XML document without tags, but with GUI elements based on
the schema?

The problem is, which GUI elements are appropriate varies depending on
the semantics of the document... and schemas don't give you much
semantic information to base that on. Usually the best solution is real
application code that understands the meaning of your data structures
and interacts with the user to capture/edit them, and which translates
those structures to/from their XML representation.

But if you really need to use the schema and only the schema... a web
search for "schema-directed editor" should find a number of tools which
attempt to do this, either freebies (often student projects) or
commercial products. I don't use any of them so I can't advise you on
which are worth using.

 

[Anupam]

Thank you to all who responded, I'm surprised that there isn't a flood of
tools in this area.
I think the XMLMind editor would suffice for what I need.

If anyone can point me to how to go about building a Schema-aware tool for
XML authoring without XML tags, I would be very grateful.

Thanks,
Anupam.

 

[Joe Kesselman]

If anyone can point me to how to go about building a Schema-aware tool for
XML authoring without XML tags

If you have to ask, I really don't think you want to tackle it.

 

[Anupam]

I would take up the challenge I don't think it should be that difficult.
I don't need to solve the general problem for all schemas, just my own
schema. I would go ahead and take a serious look at the XMLMind but if its
too rescrictive and I deem it unusable by my users, I may have no choice but
to write my own. I'm thinking I would need to start with Java/Swing unless
someone can point me to a better/shotter path.

Thanks,
Anupam.

 

[Pavel Lepin]

message

Have you considered taking a look at XForms? Its express
purpose is binding of UI elements to XML data.

I would take up the challenge I don't think it should
be that difficult.

Tsk tsk. The famous last words...

I don't need to solve the general problem for all schemas,
just my own schema.

....on the other hand, yeah, *that* shouldn't be too
difficult unless the schema in question is particularly
vile.

 

[Ax]

Have you looked at Xopus http://www.xopus.com