1. Computing & Technology

Discuss in my forum

Jennifer Kyrnin

What do you look for in an XML editor?

By , About.com GuideSeptember 28, 2008

Follow me on:

I've been thinking about XML editors lately, because it seems whenever I write XML these days there's an unencoded ampersand (& that isn't written &) or something else that breaks the document when I load. This is really frustrating. I had been using XMLSpy when I worked at a corporation, and that program is great. But it's extremely expensive for a self-employed freelancer like myself, so I don't have it any longer. I wish I still had it so I could write a review of it, as I did like it then... Anyway, since then, I've been writing my XML either in standard text editors (thus the well-formed problem above) or in Komodo Edit (which is great, and I'm working on a review of it...). But I'm curious what other people look for in an XML editor. Keep in mind that I'm talking about an editor that is written to write XML - not a text or HTML editor like Dreamweaver or Nvu or Expression that allows you to write XML in the editor but doesn't include helpful features like checking for well-formedness and so on. What XML editors do you use? And why do you liike them? What features make them stand out for you as great editors?
Comments
September 29, 2008 at 9:35 am
(1) Bob Barr says:

Have you considered the CookTop XML editor?

It’s targetted specifically to XML editing. I’m afraid that I really don’t know enough about XML to say how good it is (or isn’t).

There’s a free Beta download available from: http://www.xmlcooktop.com

September 29, 2008 at 11:00 am
(2) Jennifer Kyrnin says:

Yes, Cooktop is on my list. It’s not so much that I’m looking for XML editors (although I always like to see new ones or ones I’ve missed to keep my lists complete) as that I wonder what other people value in them. I know what I value, but I wonder if there are other things that they could be doing for me.

October 1, 2008 at 10:43 am
(3) David McGahey says:

Hi Jennifer-

Altova recently launched the XMLSpy Standard Edition with the XML editing functionality you may be looking for, priced at $149. A fully functional 30-day free trial is also available.

You can compare the features of XMLSpy editions at: http://www.altova.com/matrix_x.html

September 22, 2010 at 4:43 pm
(4) jon says:

I think XMLspy is arguably the best but that depends on how you feel about price I suppose.

Leave a Comment

Line and paragraph breaks are automatic. Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title="">, <b>, <i>, <strike>
Related Searches xml editor

©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.

A part of The New York Times Company.