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Viewing XML Files

Raw XML files can be viewed in IE 5.0 (and higher) and in Netscape 6, but to make it display like a web page, you have to add some display information.

Viewing XML Files

To view an XML document in IE 5.0 (and higher) you can click on a link, type the URL in the address bar, or double-click on the name of an XML file in a files folder. If you open an XML document in IE, it will display the document with color coded root and child elements. A plus (+) or minus sign (-) to the left of the elements can be clicked to expand or collapse the element structure. If you want to view the raw XML source, you must select "View Source" from the browser menu.

To view an XML document in Netscape 6 you'll have to open the XML file and then right-click in XML file and select "View Page Source". If you open an XML document in Netscape 6, it will display the document with color coded root and child elements.

Look at this XML file: note.xml

Note: Do not expect XML files to be formatted like an HTML document !

Viewing an invalid XML file

If an erroneous XML file is opened, the browser will report the error.

Look at this XML file: note_error.xml

Other Examples

Viewing some XML documents will help you get the XML feeling.

We have collected the following XML data files for you:

An XML CD catalog
This is my fathers CD collection, stored as XML data (old and boring titles I think).

An XML plant catalog
This is a plant catalog from a plant shop, stored as XML data.

A Simple Food Menu
This is a breakfast food menu from a restaurant, stored as XML data.

Why does XML display like this?

XML documents do not carry information about how to display the data.

Since XML tags are "invented" by the author of the XML document, browsers do not know if a tag like <table> describes an HTML table or a dining table.

Without any information about how to display the data, most browsers will just display the XML document as it is.

In the next chapters, we will take a look at different solutions to the display problem, using CSS, XSL, JavaScript, and XML Data Islands.

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