VS2005 XML Editor rocks! Navigating type definitions from instance documents!

VS2005 XML Editor rocks! Navigating type definitions from instance documents!

June 8, 2006 7:36 pm

Today, I was working on some GAXsoftware factory stuff. I just couldn’t remember if a particular element I had at hand in an instance document supported xs:anyAttribute or not in the corresponding schema. So I though “how handy it would be if I could press F12 (Go to Definition) and be taken to the schema for it”. I tried it:

Imagine my surprise when I saw:

Quite unexpected for me, I was presented with the XSD for the document with the relevant element definition focused under the cursor! Now, the element happens to he a ref to the definition which is somewhere else. So I thought “how handy it would be if I could press F12 and be taken to the definition of that referenced element”. I tried it:

And I was inmediately taken to:

Simply amazing. I didn’t know about this feature. What’s more, you can use Ctrl+[minus sign] to navigate back, just like you do when you F12 to definitions in any code window.

Impressive job, XML team. Thank again!!!!!!

/kzu