XML Formatter
Format and validate XML data with syntax highlighting
XML Validation Error
About XML Formatter
XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is the backbone of modern data interchange, widely used in web services, configuration files, and document storage. However, raw XML is often unreadable due to lack of formatting or minification.
The CoderTools XML Formatter is a powerful browser-based tool designed to Format (Beautify), Minify, and Validate your XML code instantly. Whether you are debugging a SOAP API, editing a configuration file, or analyzing data exports, this tool ensures your XML is structured, error-free, and easy to read.
Key Features
Common Use Cases
How to Use
Formatting XML is simple with our intuitive interface:
- 1 1. Input Data: Paste your XML string into the editor.
- 2 2. Configure: Choose your preferred indentation (2 spaces, 4 spaces, or tabs) and enable options like 'Collapse Empty Tags'.
- 3 3. Process: Click Format to beautify, Minify to compress, or Validate to check for errors. The result will appear instantly with syntax highlighting.
How This Tool Processes XML
Indentation Addition
Adds consistent whitespace indentation (2 or 4 spaces/tabs) to each nested level. Makes XML hierarchy visually clear. Example: <parent><child/></parent> becomes multi-line with proper indents.
Line Break Insertion
Inserts line breaks after opening/closing tags to place each element on its own line. Improves readability and version control diffs. Minify mode removes all line breaks.
Comment Handling
Option to preserve or remove <!-- comments -->. Preserved comments maintain proper indentation. Removing comments reduces file size for production deployment.
Empty Tag Optimization
Collapses empty elements <tag></tag> to self-closing format <tag/>. Reduces verbosity and file size without changing XML structure or meaning.
File Size Impact
XML formatting (beautification) increases file size by 20-40% due to added whitespace and line breaks, improving readability. Minification removes all formatting, reducing size by 15-35%. Gzip compression (server-side) achieves 70-90% total reduction.
| Scenario | Original | Formatted | Minified | Gzipped |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complex XML with nested elements | 50 KB (minified) | 65-70 KB (+30-40%) | 48-50 KB | ~8-12 KB (80-85% total) |
| Configuration file with comments | 20 KB (formatted) | 20 KB (same) | 13-14 KB (-30-35%) | ~3-4 KB (80-85% total) |
| Data-heavy XML (attributes) | 100 KB (minified) | 120-130 KB (+20-30%) | 98-100 KB | ~15-20 KB (80-85% total) |
Why Use Our XML Tools?
Instant Validation
Detect syntax errors immediately. Our tool highlights unclosed tags, missing attributes, and structure issues to help you fix bugs faster.
Beautify & Minify
Convert compacted XML into a readable tree structure (Beautify) or remove whitespace to reduce file size for production use (Minify).
Secure Client-Side Processing
Your logical data never leaves your browser. All formatting and validation happen locally using JavaScript, ensuring 100% data privacy.
References
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