XML support

CodeSmith Generator can read template metadata from XML files. To use XML metadata in a template, declare an XmlProperty:

<%@ XmlProperty Name="PurchaseOrder" Schema="PO.xsd" Optional="False" Category="Data" Description="Purchase Order to generate packing list for." %>

When the user runs the template, they choose an XML file for the property. If you supply an XSD schema, Generator builds a strongly typed object model from it, so your template code can use the XML's elements and attributes as properties, with IntelliSense. Without a schema, the property is an XmlDocument.

See XML property examples for complete templates with and without a schema, or watch the XML Property video.

XmlProperty attributes

Name is required; all other attributes are optional.

Attribute	Description	Required
Name	The property name shown in the property grid. It's also the name of the variable that holds the value in template code, so it must be a legal identifier in the template's language. With a schema, the variable is a strongly typed object model that Generator builds from the schema; without one, it's an XmlDocument.	Yes
Schema	The XSD schema used to parse the XML file the user chooses. A schema also lets Generator offer IntelliSense for the property in your template. Without a schema, the user can choose any XML document, and the property is an XmlDocument.	No
Default	The default value. If you omit it, the property has no default value.	No
Category	The property grid category the property appears in.	No, defaults to Misc
Description	Text shown at the bottom of the property grid when the property is selected.	No
Optional	Whether the user can leave the property empty. When False, Generator doesn't generate until the user chooses a file; when True, a value isn't required.	No
OnChanged	The event handler to call when the property's value changes.	No
RootElement	The relative or full path to the root XML element.	No