Using Notepad++ To Quickly Format XML

My favorite way to quickly format a given chunk of XML is to useNotepad++and the XML Tools plugin. You can get Notepad++here. And the XML Tools plugin ishere(you’ll have to wait a few seconds before the download starts).

Installing Notepad

(the following instructions are based on Notepad++ v5.9.4 and my differ in later versions)

1) Choose your language:

2) Click Next:

3) Agree to the License Agreement:

4) Choose where you want to install the files:

5) Choose what options you want to install (I simply use the defaults):

6) Choose the final set of options. I check the first one because I like having applications keep their data in their own installation directory:

7) Click Install:

8) Click Finish and you’re done!

Settings In Notepad++

There are a few settings that I always set that (I find) make life more convenient (but that’s just me).

Under Settings | Preferences:

On the “General” tab,I check “Show close button on each tab”.

On the “MISC.” tab,I uncheck “Remember current session for next launch” because I always want Notepad++ to open with a new blank document.

Installing the XML Tools

If you run Notepad++ and look in the Plugins menu,you’ll see that the XML Tools aren’t there:

1) Download the XML tools fromhere.

2) Unzip the file and copy the XMLTools.dll to the Notepad++ plugins folder (in the example above: C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++\plugins):

3) Re-start Notepad++ and you should now see the XMLTools appear in the Plugins menu:

When you click on “How to use…” you’ll get the following:

4) I’ve just tried (2011/10/20) following those links and the first one doesn’t work and the 2nd one just takes you to a directory listing. So,I’ve uploaded the zip file to my site and you candownload the missing lib files from here.

5) Unzip the ext_libs.zip file and then copy the unzipped DLLs to the Notepad++ installation directory (in the example above: C:\Program Files (x86)\Notepad++):

6) Re-start Notepad++ and you should finally see the proper XML Tools menu:

The feature I use the most is “Pretty print (XML only – with line breaks)”. This will format any piece of XML with all the proper line spacing.

Start with:

After doing Ctrl+Alt+Shift+B:

Sweet!