Every day, addon planes are released for FSX & P3D with XML syntax errors in their XML gauges & models, resulting in expected functionality, not working.

While there is a crude XML Syntax Checker, that can be turned on in the the prepared.cfg file, the error reports from that syntax checker, are typically near to useless to identify wherer the error is.

ie: Error in abc.xml - Possibly a missing space !

No line numbers, and very seldom the context in which this error occured.

Please could the P3D developers at Lockheed apply some thought to either improving this built in checker, or providing a better external syntax checking tool, that gives more meaningfull error reports.

Benefits might be.
(1) Developers are able to far more efficiently find and correct XML syntax errors.
(2) For $50, I could see most serious developers, buying P3D, just to be able to better test their FSX XML !!

Quote from janvaane on June 1, 2012, 08:12
What about this one?
http://www.w3schools.com/dom/dom_validate.asp
Open any XML with Notepad++ copy/paste and press verify xml button

I don't think so (If only life was that easy !!)

That general XML "validator" is very different from what is required to PARSE a FSX XML gauge, and check that it is error free.

Thanks,

It would seem that even many of the major developers are NOT aware of the "xml pare debug" option in the config file, judging by the large number of addons planes that have numerous XML errors, as reported by the parser.

Even when one knows, and uses the debug parser, often it can take considerable time to determine the line where the XML error is, because of the minimal details in the error message. However, once found and corrected, the errors go away, and the gauge, in most cases, operates in the way programmed (even if not always the way intended !! ).