To generate sample XML files from an XML Schema use the action. The action is also available on the contextual menu from the schema
Design page.
Complete the dialog as follows:
- URL - Schema's URL. Last used URLs are displayed in the drop-down
box.
- Namespace - Displays the namespace of the selected schema.
- Document root - After the list is selected, a list of elements is
displayed in the combo box. The user should choose the root of the XML documents to be
generated.
- Output folder - Path to the folder where the generated XML
instances will be saved.
- Filename prefix and Extension - Generated files' names have the
following format: prefixN.extension, where prefix and
extension are specified by the user and N represents an
incremental number from 0 up to Number of instances - 1.
- Number of instances - The number of XML files to be generated.
- Open first instance in editor - When checked, the first generated
XML file will be opened in editor.
- Namespaces - Here the user can specify the default namespace as
well as the proxies (prefixes) for namespaces.
- Load settings / Export settings - The current settings can be saved
for further usage with the Export settings button, and reloaded when necessary with
the Load settings button.
The Options tab becomes
active only after the URL field is filled-in and a schema is detected. It allows the user to
set specific options for different namespaces and elements.
The Namespace / Element table allows you to set a namespace for each
element name that will appear in an XML document instance.
- Namespace / Element table -
- All elements from all namespaces. This is the default setting and it can also be accessed from .
- All elements from a specific namespace.
- A specific element from a specific namespace.
- Settings
- Generate optional elements - When checked, all elements will be
generated, including the optional ones (having the minOccurs attribute
set to 0 in the schema).
- Generate optional attributes - When checked, all attributes
will be generated, including the optional ones (having the use
attribute set to optional in the schema.)
- Values of elements and attributes - Controls the content of
generated attributes and elements. Several choices are available:
- None - No content is inserted;
- Default - Inserts a default value depending of data type descriptor of the
respective element or attribute. The default value can be either the data type name
or an incremental name of the attribute or element (according to the global option
from the XML Instances Generator preferences page). Please
note that type restrictions are ignored for this option when generating the values
of elements and attributes. For example if an element is of a type that restricts an
xs:string with the xs:maxLength
facet in order to allow strings with a maximum length of 3 the XML instance
generator tool may generate string element values longer than 3 characters. If you
need to generate valid values, then the recommended option is
Random.
- Random - Inserts a random value depending of data type descriptor of the
respective element or attribute.
- Preferred number of repetitions - Allows the user to set the
preferred number of repeating elements related with minOccurs and
maxOccurs defined in XML Schema.
- If the value set here is between minOccurs and
maxOccurs, then that value will be used;
- If the value set here is less than minOccurs, then the
minOccurs value will be used;
- If the value set here is greater than maxOccurs, then that value
will be used.
- Maximum recursion level - Option to set the maximum allowed
depth of the same element if a recursion is found.
- Choice strategy - Option to be used in case of xs:choice or
substitutionGroup. The possible strategies are:
- First - the first branch of xs:choice or
the head element of substitutionGroup will be always used;
- Random - a random branch of xs:choice or a
substitute element or the head element of a substitutionGroup will
be used.
- Generate the other options as comments - Option to generate the
other possible choices or substitutions (for xs:choice and
substitutionGroup). These alternatives will be generated inside
comments groups so you can uncomment and use them later. Use this option with care (for
example on a restricted namespace and element) as it may generate large result
files.
- Load settings / Export settings - The current settings can be
saved for further usage with the Export settings button, and
reloaded when necessary with the Load settings button.
- Element values - The Element values tab
allows you to add values that will be used to generate the elements content. If there are
more than one value, then the values will be used in a random order.
- Attribute values - The Attribute values tab
allows you to add values that will be used to generate the attributes content. If there are
more than one value, then the values will be used in a random order.