The XML editor has a Design view, which represents the XML file
simultaneously as a table and a tree. This helps make navigation and editing
easier. Content and attribute values can be edited directly in the table cells,
while pop-up menus on the tree elements give alternatives that are valid for
that particular element.
For example, the Add child menu item will
list only those elements from a DTD or XML schema which would be valid children
at that point.
When you have an XML file associated with an XML schema
or DTD file, certain tags and rules for that file have already been established,
which is why the Design view can provide prompts (via a pop-up menu) for those
tags. When you create an XML file that is not associated with an XML schema
or DTD file, it has no tags or rules associated with it, so the Design view
cannot provide prompts for specific tags, but it can provide prompts to create
new elements and attributes.
For any XML file associated with an XML
schema or DTD file, you can use the Design view to add any items defined in
the XML schema or DTD (such as elements and attributes) to the XML file. You
can also use it to add processing instructions and comments to all XML files.
To
open and edit a XML file in the XML editor, right-click the file in the Navigator
view and click Open With > XML Editor. If necessary,
click the Design tab to open the Design view.
To
expand all the items in your XML file, click 
on the toolbar.
To collapse them, click the 
on the
toolbar.
If you right-click the item that you want to work with, some
or all of the following options (as applicable) will be available from the
pop-up menu that appears:
| Select this |
If you want to do this |
| Add DTD Information |
Associate the XML file with a DTD. |
| Edit DOCTYPE |
Edit the DOCTYPE declaration. Refer to the related task
for more details. For more information, see
Editing DOCTYPE declarations. |
| Edit Namespaces |
Edit the existing namespace information or create a
new association with a namespace. Refer to the related task for more details.
For more information, see
Editing namespace information. |
| Edit Processing Instruction |
Edit the processing instruction. Refer to the related
task for more details. For more information, see
Editing XML processing instructions. |
| Remove |
Remove the item that you have selected from the XML
file. If the selected item or related items are defined so that the item must
exist in the file, this option will not be available. For example, in your
DTD, if you have declared that "One or more" of the item must always exist
in your XML file, and the item you have selected is the only one that exists
in your XML file. |
| Add Attribute |
Add an attribute to the element that you selected. Any
attributes you are allowed to add to the element will be listed. After you
have added the attribute to the XML file, you can click in the right-hand
column to change the value of the attribute. If the attribute has set values,
they will appear in a list. |
| Add Child |
Add another element, a comment, or a processing instruction
as a child of the parent element. |
| Add Before |
Add a child element, comment, or processing instruction
that can go before the item you have selected. For example, if you have a
parent element called CD Collections that can contain
an unlimited amount of children called CD, you could
click a CD element and click , as a CD element
can go before another CD element. |
| Add After |
Add a child element, comment, or processing instruction
that can go after the item you have selected. For example, if you have a parent
element called CD Collections that can contain an unlimited
amount of children called CD, you could click a CD element
and click , as a CD element can go after another CD element. |
| Replace With |
Replace one item with another. This option is not available
if you turn grammar constraints off or if there are no valid alternatives
for you to replace the item with. |
Any changes you make in the Design view are also reflected in the
Source view and the Outline view.
Note: These instructions were written
for the Resource perspective, but they will also work in many other perspectives.
