We're building components for our in-house CMS. We're doing a lot with SQL
database, but we decided to build out main site structure as an XML file.
This XML file stores the navigation hierarchy and bits of meta data that we
use throughout the site. Right now, we, the developers, are maintaining this
XML file, so no big deal, but down the road, we'd like to build a back-end
interface so people can maintain the navigation structure and other data via
an interface.

I imagine two ways to do this:

1) Get the data into a table and then have people maintain the table.
Develop a script that can take the relational data and spit it out into
hierarchal XML.

2) See if there is such a thing as an in-browser XML data editor to allow
people to edit the XML file directly.

for now, I'm wondering about #2. I'm not having a whole lot of luck finding
an intuitive XML data editor for the desktop, so I'm thinking my options for
an in-browser editor on slim to none. That said, with the seemingly hundreds
of in-browser html editors, you'd think someone might have taken the time to
make one for xml...so I thought I'd ask. ;o)

-Darrel

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Thanks, John. That's interesting. Yet, still seems overly complex. I think
the end solution will be for us to build an interface to allow people to
manipulate the data in the database and then create a script to spit that
out as XML.

I'll play with that altova tool though...

-Darrel

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Two suggestions:

1) Altova's Authentic MSIE add-in:

http://www.altova.com/products_doc.html

2) Word 2003 Professiional.

Both allow editing of XML with validation against an XSD schema.

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I found the SDK very unhelpful and overly complicated. But actually
receiving the edited XML file back using asp.net is really quite simple (
it normally comes back as an HTTP POST).

Why the db backend? Why not simply create a UI for the user to edit the XML
file? How would this be different from an in-browser editor as far as how
the hierarchy is stored?

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