New in XMLSpy 2008 Release 2

Release 2 delivers several powerful enhancements to XMLSpy 2008, from support for very large files, to enhancements for working with XSLT 1.0 and 2.0, to detailed find-and-replace in the graphical XML Schema editor, and more.

New features in XMLSpy v2008r2 include:

• Very large file support
• Detailed find & replace in XML Schema editor
• Enhanced XSLT details in Info Window
• New XSL Outline entry helper window
• Support for Java, C#, JavaScript, and VBScript in XSLT 1.0/2.0 engines
• Support for SOAP 1.2
• Project generation for Visual Studio 2008
• Visual Studio integration extended to include Visual Studio 2008

Very large file support

XMLSpy 2008r2 contains a number of advanced optimizations for working with very large files. These result in a reduction of memory consumption by up to 75-80% compared to the previous version when opening and validating XML documents in Text View. This means that you can now open and work with files that are about 4-5 times larger than those supported in the past.** Enhanced support for large files is especially helpful for developers working with large amounts of data in the context of database applications, financial services, data gathering, enterprise data integration, and so on.

Detailed find & replace in the XML Schema editor

This new feature complements the already robust find-in-files capabilities of XMLSpy by adding functionality specialized for schema development. The new Find in Schemas window allows you to perform detailed find and replace operations within single schemas and across complex multi-file schemas with ease. Several options for find/replace are available, and multiple tabs in the Find in Schemas output window allow you to perform several searches without losing your previous results.

Enhanced XSLT details in Info Window

There is now an XSLT tab in the XMLSpy Info Window that provides useful information for developers working with XSLT stylesheets. The XSLT tab allows you to view the associated schema and XML instance files as well as any included or imported XSLT documents, and mousing-over the file names reveals the complete file path. You can even configure the schema and XML instance relationships directly in this tab with just a few clicks. Handy toolbar buttons allow you to quickly organize some or all of the files into an XMLSpy project or even add all files to a ZIP archive in a user-defined location with just a few clicks. This new feature is complemented by the XSL Outline entry helper window described below.

XSL Outline entry helper window

The new XSL Outline entry helper window in XMLSpy is another powerful feature for optimizing XSLT development. When you're working with an XSLT 1.0 or 2.0 stylesheet, it lists the templates and functions in the current XSLT file as well as those in any included or imported files. Color coded icons provide at-a-glance information on templates and functions, and selecting the Go to Item icon or double clicking a template or function highlights it in the current document. Functions are listed by name, while templates are displayed by name and/or XPath expression. You can view or edit each template's mode, priority, and associated comment directly in the XSL Outline window.

You can search for, filter, and sort the templates and functions displayed in the outline by multiple criteria. The window also allows you to quickly insert calls to named templates and select a named template as the entry point for transformations. The new XSLT Info window and XSL Outline entry helper add to the already robust XSLT editing, debugging, and profiling capabilities of XMLSpy, allowing you to more easily view, manage, and optimize reusable stylesheet components.

Support for Java, C#, JavaScript, and VBScript in XSLT 1.0/2.0 engines

Developers often embed program code in Java, C#, JavaScript, or VBScript to add advanced functionality to their XSLT stylesheets. Support for these types of code in the XMLSpy XSLT engine means that you can not only take advantage of XMLSpy's powerful XSLT editing and transformation capabilities for stylesheets that contain program code – you can also test, perfect, and optimize them using the XSLT debugger and XSLT profiler. Example code snipets are shown below.

Java, C#, JavaScript, and VB Script are also supported in the AltovaXML™ XSLT engine, which is available for developers to use in their own applications, royalty-free. See below for more on AltovaXML.

Support for SOAP 1.2

In addition to SOAP 1.1, XMLSpy Enterprise Edition now supports the latest version of the standard, 1.2. Support for SOAP 1.2 allows you to create and test Web services messages using SOAP 1.2 by checking the appropriate box in the SOAP request settings dialog.

According to the W3C, benefits of version 1.2 are increased interoperability, better Web integration, increased versatility, and faster speed. Now that XMLSpy supports both SOAP 1.1 and 1.2, you have the choice of which version you wish to implement in your Web services applications.

Project generation for Visual Studio® 2008

Now that more and more developers are migrating to Visual Studio 2008, XMLSpy provides an option to generate a Visual Studio 2008 project file when generating C# or C++ code in XMLSpy. As shown in the screenshot below, code compatible with previous versions of Visual Studio can also be generated.