Microsoft has created a nice little tool that any XML editor should know about. It's called XML Notepad, and it's a free beta program that you can download from Microsoft's Webpage . It is extremely useful for the HTML editor switching over to XML or GuideML.

Although the name relates XML Notepad to the friendly program Notepad, bundled with Windows, the two have little in common. XML Notepad is complex and looks uninviting to the new user the first time it is opened.

XML Notepad's interface has two columns: the first column, with tags, attributes, etc.; and the second column, containg what is in the tags and attributes. This looks extremely confusing, mostly because of the program's misnomer, making it sound like Notepad.

Pros for XML Notepad:

• It dies the nitty-gritty for you - If you're tired of remembering to close your <BR> s and putting quotes around your attributes, XML Notepad is for you. No more dirty work; no more time wasted fixing incorrect XML documents.
• It does Guide Entries - In the same respect, you can code all your Guide Entries in GuideML without having to worry about closed tags or quoted attributes. Best of all, unlike HTML editors, it doesn't choke on a <PICTURE> or <LINK> .
• It's free! - It can be downloaded from Microsoft for free in just a few minutes.

The cons:

• XML Notepad is not for the beginner - No WSIWYG and no wizards make XML Notepad seem very scary to the beginning XML user.
• It isn't for XML experts - Because of its price and availability, and the fact that it's in beta, XML Notepad will not create DTDs¹.

Summary

XML Notepad is best suited for advanced users, and is great for the HTML user trying to use GuideML. However, pure experts may want to invest in a more expensive XML editor that can create DTDs. However, XML Notepad's features make it well worth the download.

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¹ Parts of an XML document that define the tags and what they do