XML Formatter

What is XML Formatter?

The XML Formatter is a powerful tool that structures and transforms complex, difficult-to-read XML strings into a visually comprehensible format. By automatically adding appropriate indentation and line breaks, it makes the hierarchical structure of XML data instantly recognizable, significantly improving efficiency in development and data analysis tasks.

You can customize the indentation character type (spaces or tabs) and the number of spaces to match your personal preferences or project requirements. In addition to formatting, the tool also supports compression mode (minify), which is useful when storage space or transfer efficiency is a priority.

Key Use Cases for XML Formatter

The XML Formatter tool is particularly valuable in the following scenarios:

• API Response Analysis: Transform XML responses from web services into readable formats for efficient debugging
• Configuration File Editing: Enhance readability when editing application configuration files (web.config, pom.xml, etc.)
• Data Validation: Visually inspect XML data structures to identify errors in tag relationships or nested structures
• Documentation Creation: Format XML sample code for technical manuals, blog posts, or educational materials
• Legacy System Analysis: Make legacy XML-based data structures easier to understand and analyze

How to Use XML Formatter

Basic Usage

1. Input XML: Paste the XML string you want to format into the input area
2. Automatic Formatting: The XML is instantly formatted in real-time as you enter it
3. Review Results: The formatted XML appears in the output area
4. Copy and Use: Click the Copy button to copy the formatted XML to your clipboard

Formatting Example

An unreadable XML document like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><bookstore><book category="cooking"><title lang="en">Everyday Italian</title><author>Giada De Laurentiis</author><year>2005</year><price>30.00</price></book><book category="children"><title lang="en">Harry Potter</title><author>J K. Rowling</author><year>2005</year><price>29.99</price></book><book category="web"><title lang="en">Learning XML</title><author>Erik T. Ray</author><year>2003</year><price>39.95</price></book></bookstore>

Can be beautifully formatted like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<bookstore>
  <book category="cooking">
    <title lang="en">Everyday Italian</title>
    <author>Giada De Laurentiis</author>
    <year>2005</year>
    <price>30.00</price>
  </book>
  <book category="children">
    <title lang="en">Harry Potter</title>
    <author>J K. Rowling</author>
    <year>2005</year>
    <price>29.99</price>
  </book>
  <book category="web">
    <title lang="en">Learning XML</title>
    <author>Erik T. Ray</author>
    <year>2003</year>
    <price>39.95</price>
  </book>
</bookstore>

Customizing Format Options

Indentation Method

You can choose the type of indentation used to visually represent the XML hierarchy:

• Spaces (Default): Indents using regular spaces. This is the most commonly adopted method in many editors and projects
• Tabs: Indents using tab characters. This is more efficient as it represents indentation with fewer characters
• None: Removes all indentation, line breaks, and extra spaces to compress the XML. This is useful for data transfer or saving storage space

Indent Spaces

When "Spaces" is selected as the indentation method, you can specify how many spaces to use for each indentation level:

• 2 spaces (Default): A good balance that is compact yet clearly shows the hierarchy
• 4 spaces: Provides more distinct visualization of the hierarchical structure, though deep nesting may cause text to flow too far to the right
• Custom: You can specify any number of spaces between 1-8 according to your preference

Benefits of XML Formatting

• Easier Structure Comprehension: The hierarchical structure becomes visually understandable, making it quick to grasp complex XML data
• Efficient Error Detection: Makes it easier to spot syntax errors such as mismatched tags or unclosed elements
• Streamlined Code Reviews: Formatted XML is easier for reviewers to understand, enabling more efficient code reviews
• Enhanced Documentation Quality: Improves the readability of XML samples included in technical documents or API documentation

Important Notes

• Formatting may fail if there are problems with the XML syntax (mismatched tags, invalid characters, etc.)
• Processing very large XML files (several MB or more) may impact browser performance
• XML can be formatted even without an XML declaration (<?xml version="1.0"?>), but including the declaration is recommended for standard XML documents