Generate Sample XML Files

The Generate Sample XML Files Dialog

Complete the dialog as follows:

• URL - Schema location as an URL. A history of the last used URLs is available in the drop-down box.
• Namespace - Displays the namespace of the selected schema.
• Document root - After the schema is selected, this drop-down box is populated with all root candidates gathered from the schema. Choose the root of the output XML documents.
• Output folder - Path to the folder where the generated XML instances will be saved.
• Filename prefix and Extension - Generated file names have the following format: prefixN.extension, where N represents an incremental number from 0 up to Number of instances - 1.
• Number of instances - The number of XML files to be generated.
• Open first instance in editor - When checked, the first generated XML file is opened in editor.
• Namespaces - Here you can specify the default namespace as well as the proxies (prefixes) for namespaces.
• Load settings / Export settings - The current settings can be saved for further usage with the Export settings button, and reloaded when necessary with the Load settings button.

The Options tab allows you to set specific options for different namespaces and elements.

The Generate Sample XML Files Dialog

• Namespace / Element table - Allows you to set a namespace for each element name that appears in an XML document instance. The following prefix-to-namespace associations are available:
  • All elements from all namespaces (<ANY> - <ANY>). This is the default setting and can be customized from the XML Instances Generator preferences page.
  • All elements from a specific namespace.
  • A specific element from a specific namespace.
• Settings
  • Generate optional elements - When checked, all elements are generated, including the optional ones (having the minOccurs attribute set to 0 in the schema).
  • Generate optional attributes - When checked, all attributes are generated, including the optional ones (having the use attribute set to optional in the schema.)
  • Values of elements and attributes - Controls the content of generated attribute and element values. Several choices are available:
    • None - No content is inserted;
    • Default - Inserts a default value depending of data type descriptor of the particular element or attribute. The default value can be either the data type name or an incremental name of the attribute or element (according to the global option from the XML Instances Generator preferences page). Note that type restrictions are ignored when this option is enabled. For example, if an element is of a type that restricts an xs:string with the xs:maxLength facet in order to allow strings with a maximum length of 3, the XML instance generator tool may generate string element values longer than 3 characters.
    • Random - Inserts a random value depending of data type descriptor of the particular element or attribute.
      Important:

      If all of the following are true, the XML Instances Generator outputs invalid values:

      • at least one of the restrictions is a regexp;
      • the value generated after applying the regexp does not match the restrictions imposed by one of the facets.

      This limitation leads to attributes or elements with values set to Invalid.
  • Preferred number of repetitions - Allows the user to set the preferred number of repeating elements related with minOccurs and maxOccurs facets defined in XML Schema.
    • If the value set here is between minOccurs and maxOccurs, then that value is used;
    • If the value set here is less than minOccurs, then the minOccurs value is used;
    • If the value set here is greater than maxOccurs, then that value is used.
  • Maximum recursion level - If a recursion is found, this option controls the maximum allowed depth of the same element.
  • Choice strategy - Option used in case of xs:choice or substitutionGroup elements. The possible strategies are:
    • First - the first branch of xs:choice or the head element of substitutionGroup is always used;
    • Random - a random branch of xs:choice or a substitute element or the head element of a substitutionGroup is used.
  • Generate the other options as comments - Option to generate the other possible choices or substitutions (for xs:choice and substitutionGroup). These alternatives are generated inside comments groups so you can uncomment and use them later. Use this option with care (for example on a restricted namespace and element) as it may generate large result files.
  • Load settings / Export settings - The current settings can be saved for further usage with the Export settings button, and reloaded when necessary with the Load settings button.
• Element values - The Element values tab allows you to add values that are used to generate the elements content. If there are more than one value, then the values are used in a random order.
• Attribute values - The Attribute values tab allows you to add values that are used to generate the attributes content. If there are more than one value, then the values are used in a random order.

This tab allows you to set advanced options that controls the output values of elements and attributes.

• Use incremental attribute / element names as default - If checked, the value of an element or attribute starts with the name of that element or attribute. For example, for an a element the generated values are: a1, a2, a3, etc. If not checked, the value is the name of the type of that element / attribute, for example: string, decimal, etc.
• Maximum length - The maximum length of string values generated for elements and attributes.
• Discard optional elements after nested level - The optional elements that exceed the specified nested level are discarded. This option is useful for limiting deeply nested element definitions that can quickly result in very large XML documents.