XML Schema Refactoring Tools
The XML Schema Refactoring menu provides automated tools for making global changes to your element and attribute definitions across multiple XSDs.
The Refactoring tools making it quick and easy to rename entities within the schema, ensuring that all references to the renamed item reflect the new name.
Other refactoring tools automate the creation of global type definitions, creating them from existing sections of the schema. This provides a quick and easy way to add structure, re-use and manageability to a schema set.
Accessing Refactoring Options
With an XSD open in Liquid Studio, you can access the Refactoring menu simply by right-clicking an entity in the design view. The refactoring options are contextual, so you will only see options that are appropriate to the entity you have selected. The options include:
Renaming
With an XSD open in the editor, you can select the Rename option in the Refactoring menu to rename entities in it at any time. The Rename option is available for root elements and attributes, groups and attribute groups, complex and simple types. On selecting Rename, you will be presented with a prompt in which to enter the new name.
If you are working with multiple XSD documents, with references to the entity you are renaming in these other documents, they will be altered when you carry out the renaming process. When you enter your new name and click OK, you will be presented with an overview of any such knock-on effects, so that you understand the consequences of the operation before going ahead with it. If any other documents are affected by the renaming, they will be opened in Liquid Studio immediately in case you need to check or carry out further amendments on them.
It's worth being aware that deciding to undo the renaming operation can be troublesome in cases where multiple XSDs are involved. If this happens, make sure you undo the renaming in each affected file.
Converting to Global Type
You can use the Refactoring menu to convert items in your XML Schema to global types. This option is available for restricted simple type attributes, restricted simple type elements and restricted extended or restricted complex type elements. The root element created on carrying out this refactoring operation will be a simple or complex type child of the schema. When Liquid Studio creates the new root type, it will replace the original entity with a reference to the newly added type.
The three conversion refactoring options alter the fundamental structure of your XSD, since they each add a new root entity. The changes resulting from these three operations therefore affect the document at a root level as well as the original location of the entity you have carried out the refactoring operation on.
Converting to Global Element
The Refactoring menu provides an option to convert an entity in your XSD to a global element. On selecting this option the item in question will be moved to the schema root, defined as an element there and referenced from its original location prior to refactoring. Like the other refactoring tools, this can aid code reuse in large or complex projects.
Converting to Global Attribute
As with the global element conversion operation, you can convert attributes to global attributes using the refactoring tools in the XSD editor. When you carry out this process, your original attribute is replaced with a reference to a new attribute defined at a global level, i.e. as a root entity within the schema. Again, this allows you to potentially reuse the attribute within your project either in the current XSD or in other linked schema files.
XSD Refactoring Example
Now we've run through the options within the Refactoring menu, let's work through a simple example. Consider the following XSD code, inferred from sample XML data:
<xs:schema xmlns:lt="http://liquid-technologies.com"
attributeFormDefault="unqualified"
elementFormDefault="qualified"
targetNamespace="http://liquid-technologies.com"
xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<xs:element name="clients">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded" name="department">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded" name="customer">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="cust_name" type="xs:string" />
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="cust_ref" type="xs:string" />
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="cust_since" type="xs:date" />
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute name="account" type="xs:string" use="optional" />
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute name="division" type="xs:string" use="optional" />
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:schema>
If we first carry out the renaming operation within this schema, changing the clients element to business_clients the XSD will be amended as follows:
<xs:schema xmlns:lt="http://liquid-technologies.com"
attributeFormDefault="unqualified"
elementFormDefault="qualified"
targetNamespace="http://liquid-technologies.com"
xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<xs:element name="business_clients">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded" name="department">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded" name="customer">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="cust_name" type="xs:string" />
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="cust_ref" type="xs:string" />
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="cust_since" type="xs:date" />
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute name="account" type="xs:string" use="optional" />
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute name="division" type="xs:string" use="optional" />
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:schema>
Next let's refactor an attribute, converting division to a global attribute. The code updates as follows:
<xs:schema xmlns:lt="http://liquid-technologies.com"
attributeFormDefault="unqualified"
elementFormDefault="qualified"
targetNamespace="http://liquid-technologies.com"
xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<xs:element name="business_clients">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded" name="department">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded" name="customer">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="cust_name" type="xs:string" />
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="cust_ref" type="xs:string" />
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="cust_since" type="xs:date" />
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute name="account" type="xs:string" use="optional" />
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute ref="lt:division" use="optional" />
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
<xs:attribute name="division" type="xs:string" />
</xs:schema>
As you can see division is now defined as a global attribute, with its original listing in the schema structure now represented as a reference. Notice the use of the namespace prefix, matching the target namespace listed within the schema element in which the attribute is defined, now globally.
Now if we refactor again, this time carrying out two operations. We will convert the cust_name element to a global element and the customer element to a global type, choosing customerType as the type name when prompted:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<!--Created with Liquid Studio (https://www.liquid-technologies.com)-->
<xs:schema xmlns:lt="http://liquid-technologies.com" attributeFormDefault="unqualified" elementFormDefault="qualified" targetNamespace="http://liquid-technologies.com" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<xs:element name="business_clients">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name="department" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element name="customer" type="lt:customerType" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute ref="lt:division" use="optional" />
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
<xs:attribute name="division" type="xs:string" />
<xs:element name="cust_name" type="xs:string" />
<xs:complexType name="customerType">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:element ref="lt:cust_name" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="cust_ref" type="xs:string" minOccurs="0" />
<xs:element name="cust_since" type="xs:date" minOccurs="0" />
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute name="account" type="xs:string" use="optional" />
</xs:complexType>
</xs:schema>
Whenever you edit an XSD, you may wish to consider generating sample XML data from it, since this often gives a clearer indication of whether or not the structures meet your project needs.
Conclusion
As we have explored above, the refactoring tools in Liquid Studio automate common refactoring processes. As with the XSD utilities in general within the Studio, the refactoring options let you strike a balance between automation and control over the details of your schema structures. If you infer XML Schema from source XML regularly, you will know that some level of editing is often required following such processes. With the Refactoring menu you can reduce or even eliminate the number of manual code changes you need to make to your inferred schemas.
Once you have your XML Schema structures designed in a way that suits your needs, you can get on and focus on the unique aspects of your projects. If you do carry out refactoring processes, do take the time to check that any side effects of the changes on linked XSDs allow them to remain consistent with associated processing components such as client applications.
