How to open an XML file in its normal form: the simplest methods and programs

Not all, but very many users of modern computer systems often face obscure XML format files. What kind of data and why they are needed, knows even fewer users. Well and what program to open XML file, understand generally units. Although everything is quite simple in this issue, nevertheless, sometimes there are problems. Let's see what's what.

XML format - what is it?

To begin with, the XML format is a type of data created using the special language Extensible Markup Language, using commands that include a descriptive part of the properties or settings of an object based on tags and attributes.

In simple terms, the XML format is textual and somewhat similar to HTML hypertext markup, which is widely used on the Internet. Therefore, a preliminary solution to the problem of how to open an XML file in a readable form can be the use of almost any, even the most primitive text editor or viewer. But it's not so simple, because the files themselves can have completely different purposes.

What are XML files used for?

Before answering the question of how to open an XML file in its normal form, we will find out what such data types are for.

Firstly, they can contain quite large amounts of information, for example, about music or video collections that are placed on the Internet. The files themselves are somewhat reminiscent of ID3 tags used in MP3 files and contain data about the name of the artist, album, year of release, genre, etc. As for the XML format, for such files, the ability to add data is practically unlimited, Information can relate not only to a single object (track or film), but also to a whole of their totality (albums, collections, etc.). The only limitation is the maximum number of lines in the text limit. This is often what causes problems when opening.

Secondly, such files are very often linked to specialized programs, and the text information contains data about some important settings of the application itself or about the parameters set by the user. For example, in any music program, you can set your own parameters for one or more tracks, and then save them as a custom template. And the preservation, as already, perhaps, is understandable, occurs in the XML format.

How to open an XML file in its normal form: the simplest method

Now let's look at the easiest way to open files of this type. For example, let's take Windows-systems. As a rule, the association for this format is not specified by default. As a consequence - the inability to open the file with a double click.

On the other hand, even if you apply this technique, any modification of Windows initially provides a list of several of the most suitable applications or will prompt the user to specify the executable EXE file himself by reviewing.

The first thing that comes to mind in connection with the fact that the format is textual is the choice of the editor of this type. In the list of programs one of the first (if not the very first) offers a standard "Notepad" - an application that is included in the mandatory set of any modification of Windows.

However, if you solve the problem of how to open the XML file in its normal form, you can first start Notepad itself, and then use the open command from the file menu or the standard Ctrl + O combination for all applications. Needless to say, if this option is convenient , In the program selection menu, you can specify the use of this method for all files of this type, or select the desired program in the file properties menu, which will later open this format by default (double click).

You can, of course, use any Internet browser for viewing, but you can not edit the data - just look in the form of text, nothing more.

How to open an XML file in readable form: optimal programs

However, just a simple text editor is not limited to. In the same way, you can easily use more powerful word processors like Microsoft Word. The XML file in Word will have exactly the same look as any other, for example, the TXT format.

But you should pay attention to the fact that the alignment in Word, in fact, as well as formatting, is slightly different from the standard "Notepad". Yes, you can view or edit the data, but the structure of the document with all sorts of special indentations (especially if there are enough long lines) can be broken.

But what certainly many do not know is that the problem of how to open an XML file in its normal form can be solved even with the help of the MS Excel spreadsheet. However, here and there begins to act a restriction on the lines. In other words, if the document contains too much data, the information will not be displayed completely.

But if you talk about how to open an XML file in its normal form, which is neither readable nor editable, it is better to use original programs that allow you to create data of this type, but not all kinds of notebooks, and special applications that support language syntax. Among them you can especially note such as Oxygen XML Editor, EditiX, XML Marker and the like. Here you need to clearly understand that such applications are initially "sharpened" under the language and have much more options than the rest of the text editors, even the most "heaped up."

Error opening XML format

So, with the question of how to open the XML file in its normal form, we sorted it out a bit. Now let's look at some errors when trying to open such data for viewing or editing. Typically, the application used can issue a message stating that it can not open the XML file because the integrity of the object is broken. The reasons for this can be as much as you like (for example, incomplete or suddenly interrupted downloading from the Internet).

Other failures can occur when it contains incorrect tags and attributes. In some cases, failures can occur if the XML file is an e-mail attachment. When you try to open in standard programs like Outlook Express, you first save the file as temporary data in TMP format, and the program responsible for opening the original file you are looking for does not understand this extension. Therefore, it is better to first save the attachment in its original form, and open it afterwards.

What is preferred for working with XML files?

So we figured out how to open the XML file in its normal form. What to use? In the simplest version for viewing any text editor or the same table processor. But if editing is required, and even with syntax support, to avoid possible errors when entering commands without specialized applications can not do.