To generate sample XML files from an XML Schema use the Generate Sample XML Files... dialog. It is opened with the action →
Complete the dialog as follows:
Schema's URL. Last used URLs are displayed in the drop-down box.
Displays the namespace of the selected schema.
After the list is selected, a list of elements is displayed in the combo box. The user should choose the root of the XML documents to be generated.
Path to the folder where the generated XML instances will be saved.
Generated files' names have the following format: prefixN.extension, where prefix and extension are specified by the user and N represents an incremental number from 0 up to Number of instances - 1.
The number of XML files to be generated.
When checked, the first generated XML file will be opened in editor.
Here the user can specify the default namespace as well as the proxies (prefixes) for namespaces.
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 becomes active only after the URL field is filled-in and a schema is detected. It allows the user to set specific options for different namespaces and elements.
Allows the user to define settings for:
All elements from all namespaces. This is the default setting and it can also be accessed from Options -> Preferences -> XML / XML Instance Generator.
All elements from a specific namespace.
A specific element from a specific namespace.
When checked, all elements will be generated, including the optional ones (having the minOccurs attribute set to 0 in the schema).
When checked, all attributes will be generated, including the optional ones (having the use attribute set to optional in the schema.)
Controls the content of generated attributes and elements. Several choices are available:
None - No content is inserted;
Default - Inserts a default value depending of data type descriptor of the respective element/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 instance generator preferences page). Please note that type restrictions are ignored for this option for generating the values of elements and attributes. 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. If you need to generate valid values please use the Random option.
Random - Inserts a random value depending of data type descriptor of the respective element/attribute.
Allows the user set the preferred number of repeating elements related with minOccurs and maxOccurs defined in XML Schema.
If the value set here is between minOccurs and maxOccurs, that value will be used;
If the value set here is less than minOccurs, the minOccurs value will be used;
If the value set here is greater than maxOccurs, that value will be used.
Option to set the maximum allowed depth of the same element in case of recursivity.
Option to be used in case of xs:choice or substitutionGroup. The possible strategies are:
First - the first branch of xs:choice or the head element of substitutionGroup will be always used;
Random - a random branch of xs:choice or a substitute element or the head element of a substitutionGroup will be used.
Option to generate the other possible choices or substitutions (for xs:choice and substitutionGroup). These alternatives will be generated inside comments groups so you can uncomment them and use later. Use this option with care (for example on a restricted namespace and element) as it may generate large result files.
The current settings can be saved for further usage with the Export settings button, and reloaded when necessary with the Load settings button.
The Element values tab allows you to add values that will be used to fill the content of elements. If there are more than one value, then the values will be used in a random order.
The Attribute values tab allows you to add values that will be used to fill the attributes. If there are more than one value, then the values will be used in a random order.
The XML instance generation tool can be launched also directly from the XML Schema editor from a shortcut action available on the popup menu of the Full Model View of the schema diagram view. The Options tab is activated by default as the Schema tab is filled with the data of the currently selected element of the diagram.
Also it can be executed as a command line tool by running the script called
xmlGenerator.bat
on Windows computers and xmlGenerator.sh
on Mac OS X and Linux ones. If the settings of a
previous use of the tool were saved in a configuration file when running the
tool from the Oxygen window then the configuration file can be supplied as a
command line
parameter:
xmlGenerator.sh -cfgFile myConfigurationFile.xml