Tools Built on top of XML:
- DataSet Designer
- Managed Resource Editor
- InfoPath
- WPF
- VSTS
No Code (Schema's and Snippets): XML is continuously reparsed in VSTS, and if the Schemas property is set (several are included out of the box)... it will have intellisense to know what elements are allowed. In addition to intellisense, when a schema is set the IDE can tell you via blue squiglies when you have invalid elements. Snippet expansions in VSTS can also dynamically build the right XML from the schema (Wootness!) for all REQUIRED elements - not optional ones. "Go To Definition" will take you into the schema for the selected element/attribute. She also shows us a Snippet Manager where she adds her custom snippet. Then ESC-TAB will expand the angle bracket shortcut name that you've typed.
Designers: There is an designer for Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG, is based on XML). So if you change anything in the designer is updated in the XML. You could also create your designer with the XML Text Buffer (implement IVsTextLines) which comes with the Visual Studio SDK. So anytime the graphical editor makes a change and event kicks off the event to update the source.
Goal: Integrate Core XML tools seemlessly into the picture, and provide hooks and support for custom designers.
Tags: [PDC05]
posted @ Thursday, September 15, 2005 4:30 PM