Oxygen

Oxygen is an XML editor intended for software and web developers, but more than just that, it is a suite of XML authoring and development tools.

In this respect, it allows not only creating and editing but also proofing and publishing XML with multiple standards and technologies. Fortunately, the product is well-documented so you can get as much help as you need.

The application comes with a welcome screen that helps you get started with such tasks as creating a new project or document. Likewise, it gives you access to some learning tools, like sample projects and video tutorials.

The interface is divided into various panels. In this regard, there is one in the middle, which is where viewing and editing the documents happen. The panel on the left is also very important, as it is a sort of browser that lets you explore your project’s assets. On top, you can find the toolbars to open, save or search for documents as well as to run and debug your project.

Fortunately, you do not have to use the interface as it comes. So, there are different perspectives: XML Editor, XSLT Debugger, XQuery Debugger, XML Databases and XML Tree Editor. Besides, you can easily drag views to other positions. Then, it is a good idea to save the layout for future use.

In the text editing view, you are able to carry out common actions, like copying and pasting. Likewise, just as most editors, it lets you find a specific string and replace it with another. Moreover, by changing to XML Tree Editor, the document can be seen in a tree format, and it has the advantage that you can collapse part of the document to focus on others.

Luckily, Oxygen comes with various tools that help you write code more efficiently and accurately. For instance, it can validate your code and suggest autocomplete options as you type. Similarly, it can generate XML files for you if you provide the URL address, the root element, the filename prefix and the output extension.

It is highly convenient that Oxygen comes with collaboration features. This way, you can work together with other members of your team over the network, irrespective of the kind of device each of you is using. Luckily, it has built-in review and change tracking features to conciliate any conflict seamlessly.

The application works in general very stably and does exactly what its developers claim. However, it sometimes seems somewhat sluggish, when starting in particular, probably because it demands a lot of RAM resources.

All in all, Oxygen is great for working with multiple XML technologies, including databases, pipelines and web services. It supports most XML operations, like simple editing, Schema validation and XSLT transformations. The product is cross-platform, so no one in your team will be forced to use a different operating system. Besides, it is available as an Eclipse plugin if you prefer to use it that way. It is available in various licenses: Academic, Personal and Business. Finally, you should know this is not an inexpensive product; still, it can be tried at no cost.