XML Formatter

Format and pretty-print XML documents with customizable indentation. Validate XML syntax and explore the tree structure of your data.

Formatted XML will appear here.
Tree view will appear here.

About XML Formatter

The XML Formatter is a developer tool that transforms compressed, minified, or poorly formatted XML documents into clean, readable, properly indented code. XML (eXtensible Markup Language) remains widely used for configuration files, SOAP APIs, data exchange, RSS feeds, and document formats like XHTML and SVG. Our formatter handles complex XML structures including namespaces, CDATA sections, processing instructions, and mixed content. The tree view feature provides a hierarchical visualization of the XML structure, making it easy to understand document organization at a glance.

How to Use the XML Formatter

  1. Paste Your XML: Copy your XML document and paste it into the input textarea. It accepts any valid XML including documents with declarations and namespaces.
  2. Choose Indentation: Select between 2 spaces, 4 spaces, or tab indentation based on your team's coding standards.
  3. Format & Validate: Click "Format XML" to pretty-print your document. The tool also validates XML syntax and shows errors with line numbers.
  4. Explore Tree View: Switch to the Tree View tab to see a hierarchical visualization of the XML structure with color-coded elements and attributes.

Features

Pretty Print XML Automatically indent and format XML with proper line breaks for maximum readability.
Tree View Visualization See XML as a hierarchical tree with color-coded elements, attributes, and text content.
XML Validation Validate XML syntax and display errors with precise line and column information.
Namespace Support Properly format XML with namespace declarations and prefixed elements.
Multiple Indent Styles Choose between 2 spaces, 4 spaces, or tab indentation for formatted output.
CDATA Handling Preserve CDATA sections, processing instructions, and comments during formatting.

Benefits

Formatted XML is essential for debugging configuration files, understanding API responses, and maintaining XML-based systems. Our formatter reveals the structure of complex XML documents, making it easy to find errors, missing elements, or unexpected data. The tree view provides a visual overview that's particularly helpful for large XML documents with deep nesting, such as SOAP messages, XSLT stylesheets, or Maven POM files.

Use Cases

Configuration Files Format web.xml, pom.xml, build.gradle, and other XML configuration files for easier editing.
API Debugging Beautify SOAP XML responses to inspect data structures and identify issues.
RSS/Atom Feeds Format RSS and Atom feed XML to verify feed structure and content organization.
Data Migration Validate and format XML data exports before importing into target systems.

Why Use TooliFyra's XML Formatter?

TooliFyra's XML Formatter goes beyond simple indentation. The tree view visualization provides instant structural understanding, while the validation engine catches errors that would break XML parsers. The tool handles edge cases like self-closing tags, mixed content, CDATA sections, and processing instructions that many formatters struggle with. Everything runs in your browser, keeping your XML data private and secure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, the formatter properly handles namespace declarations (xmlns), prefixed elements, and default namespaces. Namespace declarations are preserved and formatted consistently with the rest of the document.
Yes, CDATA sections are preserved as-is during formatting. The content inside CDATA is not parsed or modified, ensuring binary data, HTML fragments, or script content remains intact.
Yes, the tree view displays element names, attribute names with their values (shown in purple), and text content. It provides a complete visual representation of the XML structure.
The tool detects unclosed tags, mismatched tags, invalid characters, malformed attributes, missing root elements, and other syntax errors with precise line and column numbers for easy debugging.