Creating a Validation Scenario for XSLT Stylesheets

You can validate an XSLT document using the engine defined in the transformation scenario, or a custom validation scenario. If you choose to validate using the engine from transformation scenario, and a transformation scenario is not associated with the current document or the engine has no validation support, the default engine is used. To set the default engine, open the Preferences dialog box (Options > Preferences) and go to XML > XSLT/FO/XQuery > XSLT.

You can also create new validation scenarios or edit existing ones, and you can add jars and classes that contain extension functions. To create or edit a validation scenario for an XSLT stylesheet, follow these steps:

  1. With the XSLT file opened in Oxygen XML Editor, select the Configure Validation Scenario(s) from the Document > Validate menu, or the Validation toolbar drop-down menu, or from the Validate submenu when invoking the contextual menu on the XSLT file in the Project view .
    The Configure Validation Scenario(s) dialog box is displayed. It contains the existing scenarios, organized in categories depending on the type of file they apply to. You can use the options in the Settings drop-down menu to filter which scenarios are shown.
  2. To edit an existing scenario, select the scenario and press the Edit button. If you try to edit one of the read-only predefined scenarios, Oxygen XML Editor creates a customizable duplicate (you can also use the Duplicate button).
  3. To add a new scenario, press the New button.
    The New scenarios dialog box is displayed. It lists all validation units of the scenario.

    Figure: Add / Edit a Validation Unit

  4. Configure the following information in this dialog box:
    1. Name - The name of the validation scenario.
    2. Storage - You can choose between storing the scenario in the Global Options or Project Options.
    3. URL of the file to validate - In most cases, leave this field as the default selection (the URL of the current file). If you want to specify a different URL, double-click its cell and enter the URL in the text field, select it from the drop-down list, or use the Browse drop-down menu or Insert Editor Variable button.
    4. File type - The file type should be XSLT Document.
    5. Validation engine - Click the cell to select a validation engine. You must select an engine to be able to add or edit extensions.
    6. Automatic validation - If this option is checked, the validation operation defined by this row is also used by the automatic validation feature.
  5. To add or edit extensions, click the Edit extensions button. This button is only available if the File type is set as XSLT Document and a Validation engine is chosen.
    The Libraries dialog box is opened. It is used to specify the jars and classes that contain extension functions called from the XSLT file of the current validation scenario. They will be searched, in the specified extensions, in the order displayed in this dialog box. To change the order of the items, select the item and press the Move up or Move down buttons.
  6. Press OK to close the New scenario dialog box.
    The newly created validation scenario is now included in the list of scenarios in the Configure Validation Scenario(s) dialog box. You can select the scenario in this dialog box to associate it with the current XSLT document and press the Apply associated button to run the validation scenario.