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Free and open source XML beautifers to format XML
By admin | December 26, 2009
XML is a great format for storing data, but an improperly-formatted XML file (e.g. whole file on one line, unusual breaking, improper line wrap, etc) can be just as difficult to read as a binary blob. In order to make “blob” XML readable, here are some tools you can use to format XML so it’s readable.
- A makeshift Python beautifier – A simple XML formattor written in Python, this formattor formats XML and actually works. Unfortunately, it formats <element>value</element> into
<element> value </element>Which can actually decrease readability, especially if you have lots of short elements.
- HTML Tidy – Official HTML/XHTML formattor endorsed by the World Wide Web Consortorium. However the XML it formatted refused to contain indents, even after enabling all indenting and formatting options. It formatted <tag1><tag2><tag3>xyz</tag3></tag2></tag1> into
<tag1> <tag2> <tag3>xyz</tag3> </tag2> </tag1>
This is not much good since indents are generally required in human readable XML.
- PHP XML beautifier – Small PHP based XML beautifier. The only one that actually worked properly and formatted readable XML. Formatted <tag1><tag2><tag3>xyz</tag3></tag2></tag1> into
<tag1> <tag2> <tag3>xyz</tag3> </tag2> </tag1>Which is the expected result. For more consistency, you might want to change (in BeautyXML.class.php)
var $how_to_ident = " "; // you can user also \t or more/less spaces
to
var $how_to_ident = "\t"; // you can user also \t or more/less spaces
to use tabs instead of spaces to save file space.
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Topics: (X)HTML, HTTP (Internet) | No Comments »