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XML Parser

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a markup language for encoding structured data. While JSON has replaced XML for many web APIs, XML remains essential for enterprise systems, SOAP web services, and configuration files. This tool parses and pretty-prints XML with proper indentation.

Specifications

Common Use Cases

  • Format SOAP API requests and responses
  • Read and validate Maven pom.xml files
  • Parse RSS and Atom feed content
  • Debug Android layout XML files
  • Process SVG graphics files
  • Inspect .NET configuration files (web.config, app.config)

Features

  • Pretty-print with proper indentation
  • Preserve namespaces and prefixes
  • Handle CDATA sections and processing instructions
  • Display attributes alongside elements
  • Convert to JSON for easier programmatic processing
  • Validate well-formed XML structure

Examples

Maven POM

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A Maven project object model defining dependencies.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project>
  <groupId>com.example</groupId>
  <artifactId>my-app</artifactId>
  <version>1.0.0</version>
  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <groupId>junit</groupId>
      <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
      <version>4.13</version>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>
</project>

Tips

  • XML is case-sensitive. <User> and <user> are different elements.
  • All elements must be properly closed. Use <br/> for self-closing tags.
  • Attribute values must be quoted (single or double quotes).
  • Use CDATA sections for content that contains < or & characters.

Understanding XML

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a W3C standard for encoding structured data in a format that is both human-readable and machine-parseable. Unlike HTML, which has a fixed set of tags, XML lets you define your own elements and attributes, making it a meta-language for creating domain-specific markup languages. The 1.0 specification was published in 1998 and remains widely used.

XML's defining feature is its strict syntax. Every opening tag must have a closing tag (or be self-closing). Attributes must be quoted. Elements must be properly nested. A document that follows these rules is "well-formed." A document that additionally conforms to a schema (DTD, XML Schema, or RELAX NG) is "valid." This strictness makes XML reliable for data interchange between systems that may be built with different technologies.

Namespaces are XML's mechanism for avoiding element name collisions. A namespace is a URI associated with a prefix (xmlns:soap="..."), ensuring that <soap:Envelope> and <html:body> can coexist in the same document without ambiguity. Namespaces are essential in SOAP web services, SAML assertions, SVG graphics, and any document that combines vocabularies.

While JSON has replaced XML for most web APIs due to its lighter syntax, XML remains dominant in enterprise integration (SOAP, EDI), document formats (DOCX, XLSX, ODF), configuration (Maven pom.xml, .NET web.config, Android layouts), syndication (RSS, Atom), and vector graphics (SVG). Understanding XML is essential for working with legacy systems, enterprise software, and document processing pipelines.

Well-formed XML follows the basic syntax rules: proper nesting, closed tags, quoted attributes, and a single root element. Any XML parser can read well-formed XML. Valid XML goes further — it conforms to a schema (DTD, XML Schema, or RELAX NG) that defines which elements and attributes are allowed, their order, and their data types. Validation is optional but important for data interchange where both parties need to agree on the document structure.

Namespaces prevent element name collisions by associating elements with a URI. A namespace is declared with xmlns:prefix="URI" and then used as a prefix on elements (<prefix:element>). The default namespace (xmlns="URI" without a prefix) applies to the element and its unqualified descendants. The URI does not need to point to an actual resource — it serves only as a unique identifier. CDATA sections (<![CDATA[ ... ]]>) provide a way to include content that contains characters like < and & without escaping them as &lt; and &amp;. This is useful for embedding JavaScript, SQL queries, or HTML fragments inside XML elements.

XML offers several features that JSON lacks: namespaces for combining vocabularies, schemas for formal validation, attributes for metadata alongside element content, processing instructions, mixed content (text interleaved with elements), and XSLT for declarative transformation. XML is the better choice for document-oriented data, complex enterprise integrations, and scenarios requiring formal contracts between systems. JSON is better suited for simple data interchange in web applications where its lighter syntax and universal tooling support are more important than XML's structural richness.

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