How do I find errors in my configuration files?

Most of the configuration files in VCADD6 and later use an XML format.  While that format is fairly flexible, it does have to follow some fundamental rules. See below for the basics.

One way to find XML errors in VCADD's configuration files is to use the Configuration Editor.  It is most easily started from the VCADD Utilities menu.

When an XML file is opened in the Configuration Editor, any errors will be noted in the status line at the bottom of the Editor's window.  Also, problem areas will be indicated by red or yellow icons in the tree at the left.  After you have made changes to the file in the editor, you can check its format using the Tools|Parse command or by pressing F7.

The following lists some of the key points about XML. 

• XML consists of a series of elements. Each element has an opening tag with its name (<elem>) and a closing tag (</elem>).
• Elements can contain text, other elements, or they can be empty.
• Empty elements can use a shorthand tag <elem /> which does not need a separate closing tag.
• Elements can also have attributes which have a name and text value, e.g. <elem attr="My text" />
• Element and attribute names are case sensitive and cannot contain spaces.
• An XML document must have exactly one root element.
• Some characters cannot be used directly in a XML document because they are part of the XML file syntax. Those characters can be replaced by an entity reference:

  &lt;	<	less than
  &gt;	>	greater than
  &amp;	&	ampersand
  &apos;	'	apostrophe
  &quot;	"	quotation mark