Indenting XML output?

[David Veeneman]

I'm having a problem getting XML output properly formatted. specifically,
line breaks and indentation are missing, even though I'm using an
XmlTextWriter with Formatting = Formatting.Inde nted.

Here is the code that's generating the problem:

static void Main(string[] args)
{
// Create an XML document
XmlDocument document = new XmlDocument();

// Add an XML declaration section
XmlNode newNode = document.Create Node(XmlNodeTyp e.XmlDeclaratio n,"","");
document.Append Child(newNode);

// Add a root element
XmlElement newElement = document.Create Element("DemoXm lDocument");
XmlText newElementText = document.Create TextNode("This is the text of
the root element");
newElement.Appe ndChild(newElem entText);
document.Append Child(newElemen t);

// Get the root element
XmlElement rootElement = document.Docume ntElement;

// Add a child element
newElement = document.Create Element("Sample Element");
newElementText = document.Create TextNode("The text of the sample
element");
newElement.Appe ndChild(newElem entText);
rootElement.App endChild(newEle ment);

// Save the XML document to file
string fileName = @"c:\temp\DemoD ocument.xml";
XmlTextWriter writer = new XmlTextWriter(f ileName, Encoding.Defaul t);
writer.Formatti ng = Formatting.Inde nted;
document.Save(w riter);
writer.Close();
}

Here's what the output from the program looks like:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<DemoXmlDocumen t>This is the text of the root element<SampleE lement>The text
of the sample element</SampleElement></DemoXmlDocument >

The content is fine, but the formatting is a mess. Any ideas why? Thanks for
your help.

--
David Veeneman
Foresight Systems

[David Veeneman]

Re: Indenting XML output?

I found my answer. The XML formatter was being thrown off by the fact that I
had included a text attribute in my root element. So, I changed my root
element to the following:

// Add a root element
XmlElement newElement = document.Create Element("DemoXm lDocument");
document.Append Child(newElemen t);

The document now formats correctly.

--
David Veeneman
Foresight Systems

[csharp@elfware.za.net]

Re: Indenting XML output?

This will work aswell... using the XmlTextWriter.F ormatting =
Formatting.Inde nted.
Maybe easier
public static void WriteIndentedXm l(string xml)
{
XmlDocument doc = new XmlDocument();
try
{
doc.LoadXml(xml );
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
Assert.Fail(ex. ToString());
}

System.IO.Strin gWriter stringWriter = new System.IO.Strin gWriter();
XmlTextWriter writer = new XmlTextWriter(s tringWriter);
writer.Formatti ng = Formatting.Inde nted;
doc.WriteTo(wri ter);
writer.Flush();

Console.WriteLi ne(stringWriter .ToString());
}

[David Veeneman]

Re: Indenting XML output?

I did find an answer to this--the problen was that I was adding element text
to the root element, which was confusing the XML formatter. Elements that
are designed to contain other elements shouldn't get element text.

--
David Veeneman
Foresight Systems