Generating Documentation for an XML Schema

Oxygen can generate detailed documentation for the components of an XML Schema in HTML, PDF and DocBook XML formats similar with the Javadoc documentation for the components of a Java class. You can select the components and the level of detail. The components are hyperlinked in both HTML and DocBook documents.

To generate documentation for an XML Schema document use the dialog Schema Documentation. It is opened with the action Tools > Generate Documentation > Schema Documentation... (Ctrl+Alt+S) . It can be also opened from the Project view contextual menu: Generate Documentation > Schema Documentation... The dialog enables the user to configure a large set of parameters for the process of generating the documentation.

The Output panel of the Schema Documentation Dialog

The Schema URL field of the dialog panel must contain the full path to the XML Schema (XSD) file you want to generate documentation for. The schema may be a local or a remote one. You can specify the path to the schema using the editor variables.

The following options are available in the Settings tab:

You can choose to split the output into multiple files by namespace, location or component.

You can export the settings of the Schema Documentation dialog to an XML file by pressing the Export settings button. With the exported settings file you can generate the same documentation from the command line interface.

The Settings Panel of the Schema Documentation Dialog

When you generate documentation for a schema you can choose what components to include in the output (global elements, global attributes, local elements, local attributes, simple types, complex types, group, attribute groups, referenced schemas, redefines) and the details to be included in the documentation:

These options are persistent between sessions.