Getting Started With Exchanger XML Lite

Running the Software and Accepting the License Agreement

Startup the software in the normal means for the host platform (for example, using the Start menu on Windows). Alternatively, you can startup from the command line as outlined in the next section.

Starting up for the first time, you will be prompted with a license agreement that only allows use of the Exchanger XML Lite edition in non-commercial environments. If you require a commercial license, or would like to try out the Grid or XML Diff/Merge functionality, then download the Professional Edition from www.exchangerxml.com and register for a 30-day trial license.

Running from the command line

To run the Exchanger XML Lite XML Editor from the command line (for example, if you want to change the memory settings), move to the install directory and use a command similar to:

   java -jar lib\xngr-loader.jar (for versions without the JVM included)
   or
   .\jre\bin\java -jar lib\xngr-loader.jar (for versions with the JVM included)

To run the XSLT Debugger in stand-alone mode from the command line, move to the install directory and use the -debugger option as in:

   java -jar lib\xngr-loader.jar -debugger (for versions without the JVM included)
   or
   .\jre\bin\java -jar lib\xngr-loader.jar -debugger (for versions with the JVM included)

It is recommended that at least 128Mb of memory is available when running Exchanger XML Editor. To increase the memory available, use a command similar to:

   java -Xms256m -Xmx512m -jar lib\xngr-loader.jar

Upgrading from V3.1

If you have previously installed V3.1, simply install the new release in a different directory. Your settings will automatically be imported into the new version.

Documentation for the Exchanger XML Editor

All the documentation for the Exchanger XML Editor is available for download from www.exchangerxml.com/editor/library.html.

The User Guide can be downloaded as a single large PDF or in smaller sections, in both US and A4 formats.

The library contains numerous videos demonstrating how to use specific features of the product. These videos are in Flash format and should be viewable on most platforms.

The software contains a comprehensive help system that is available through the HELP entry on the main menu.

Examples

Projects provide a convenient means for managing related groups of documents. The projects view is the first of the three tabs on the left-hand panel in the editor and on installation will contain a number of sample projects for SOAP, WSDL, XML Signatures, etc.

The files used in this document are all located in the projects directory where you installed Exchanger, for example, in the typical Windows intallation this would be C:\Program Files\Exchanger XML Lite 3.2. Please adapt the directory and file specifications for your environment.

If you delete some or all of the sample projects, they can easily be reinstated using the Import Project functionality. To recreate all the projects, choose Project->Import Project and select the file projects/all.projects. Alternatively, to import a single project, for example, the XPath project, import the project file projects/XPath/xpath.xngr.

Preferences and Settings

To change settings in the Editor, select File->Preferences and navigate through the different tabs. The preferences are documented at the end of this Guide. User settings are stored in a file called .xngr-editor-v32.xml in the .xngr sub-directory of the user's home directory. Make sure to back up this file when installing new versions of the software. This directory also contains an error file .xngr-editor.err and a log file .xngr-editor.out

Frequently changed settings are made available on the menus so that they are easier to access and also to allow shortcuts to be created. For example, Editor properties such as showing line numbers, content folding and soft-wrapping are now available using the View->Editor Properties sub-menus, while the Grid is configurable using the View->Grid Properties sub-menus (available in Exchanger XML Professional edition only). Shortcuts for all these properties can be created in the normal way via the Keys tab in the Preferences dialog.

To maximize the screen real estate for editing a file, double-click on the tab for the filename in the editor. Alternatively, click on the small triangle that is pointing left on the vertical splitter between the Main Window and the Left-Hand Window to hide the Controller. Also click on the downwards-pointing small triangle on the horizontal splitter beneath the Main Window to hide the Output Window. The hidden components can be reinstated by reversing the procedure.

Look and Feel

The Look and Feel can be changed to improve the user interface experience. In particular, the default Metal Look and Feel under Java 1.4 is not very inspiring and should probably be changed. On Windows, the JGoodies options are recommended, while on Linux the Kunstoff version is better. Note that under Java 1.5 the default Metal Look and Feel has been significantly improved and should prove suitable.

To change the Look and Feel, select File->Preferences and on the System tab, select an option from the dropdown list. Save the changes and then exit the application and restart for the new Look and Feel to take effect.

Acknowledgements

Cladonia Limited would like to thank Ovidiu Predescu and Tony Addyman for their permission to use code from XSLT-Process (see http://xslt-process.sourceforge.net/) in the XSLT Debugger. We would also like to acknowledge the use of software from Michael Kay (The Saxon XSLT and XQuery Processor from Saxonica Limited, www.saxonica.com ), Ken Holman (UBL stylesheets) and Yuan Wang (XDiff).

Versions

The following versions of software are included in the Exchanger XML Editor product:

Table 1. Software Versions

Support

Support is available via the online forums. Alternatively, email your query to support @ cladonia.com or support @ freexmleditor.com.