This tool allows you to program the automatic generation of professional quality reports and documentation by the data obtained from any kind of XML files. The output documents can be generated in RTF and HTML formats. The HTML can be both single-file and multi-framed documentation. The TXT (plain text) output is supported as well, which enables you to use this tool also for various XML file transformations.
Such a generation is programmed using templates, which function a lot the same as the full-blown scripting-language programs (such as XSLT scripts, for instance). However, the advantage of the template approach offered by the DocFlex Technology is that it requires very few coding of anything manually and allows designing your templates in WYSIWYG form in the terms of things you would expect to see in your output documents rather than on the level of abstract language operators. (For more details, please see About DocFlex Technology | What are Templates?)
The templates are visually designed basing on the information obtained from DTD or XSD (W3C XML Schema) files mostly by using mouse and specifying properties in Template Designer dialogs. The data type information (i.e. XML elements and attributes) appears in various treeviews which are used to program the data processing in the templates. (See Creating a Sample Template flash tutorial.)
The formatting of the generated documents is programmed by specifying formatting properties of template components (some of which can be changed simply by dragging mouse in the designer pane). Many of such properties are graphically visualized by the Template Designer.
The output generator can be both launched from the command line and invoked directly from the Template Designer's main menu which allows you to immediately see the result produced by your templates yet during designing them (no compilation or running any stand-alone interpreter are required).
-xmlcatalog
generator option) and in definitions of XML Types based on multiple XML schemas (see
xsd.catalogs
config property).
IDREF/IDREFS
attributes of XML elements.
QName
attributes,
which is typically the case (for instance in XSD or WSDL files).
<xs:documentation>
elements of XSD files).
This must be programmed entirely within a template,
which converts all XHTML tags to normal HTML tags (e.g. by removing 'xhtml' namespace prefix from the tag names).
Further, everything will be processed by the generator itself (see below). As an example, see also
XSDDoc | Documentation Features | Annotations | XHTML formatting.
<xhtml:img>
tags found within special annotation elements
(e.g. see XSDDoc | FAQ | How to insert images?)
Since DocFlex/XML is a pure Java application (both the Template Designer and Generator GUI are based entirely on Swing), it is supposed to work on any operating system where Java2 Runtime Environment can be installed.
Specifically, the DocFlex/XML software available for downloads includes both MS Windows BAT files and Linux shell script files to run DocFlex/XML immediately on those operating systems. We have been also reported that DocFlex was successfully working under Mac OS X.
Additionally, a sample Ant buildfile and Maven Plugin are provided that will allow you to use DocFlex/XML with both Apache Ant and Maven. For more details, please see DocFlex/XML | Integrations.
To parse XML files, DTDs and XML Schemas, DocFlex/XML uses Apache Xerces2 Java Parser version 2.9.1, whose binaries are included in the DocFlex/XML archives. In case of any questions concerning that library, please refer to the Apache Xerces home page: http://xerces.apache.org.
Note: | Heavy template applications (like XSDDoc) may require considerable computational resources. To run them, you may need a powerful enough computer (e.g. with Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon processor) and at least 512 MB RAM memory. |
It is the most complete edition of DocFlex/XML software, which includes all features available in this product line:
Other features are essentially the same as in the full edition:
So, we break the whole DocFlex/XML into a number of logical products (or licensed entities) according to the major features implemented. Some of those products are free, others require separate licensing.
Below is the list of such products along with the details of how they are licensed.
Later, more features may be added to the "SDK" category, e.g. some tools for debugging and automatic documenting of templates. |
The SDK functionality is available only in DocFlex/XML (Full Edition) and covered by a single “DocFlex/XML SDK” license. Depending on that license, the SDK may work in one of three modes:
Feature / Functionality | Limited Mode | Full Mode | Trial Mode |
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License type(s) | |||
Template Designer | ![]() |
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Possibility to create/modify templates | – | ![]() |
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Execution of any custom templates.
Note: If your custom templates are derived from a template set provided by Filigris Works,
their execution will depend also on your license for that template application
(see Licensing of Templates).
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Execution of templates provides by Filigris Works.
Note: This depends also on your license for that particular template application
(see Licensing of Templates).
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Any number of input XML files | ![]() |
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Support of XML Catalogs for input XML files | ![]() |
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Generator GUI | ![]() |
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Generation of HTML, RTF, TXT (plain text) output | ![]() |
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Any number of output files of any size | ![]() |
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Possible usage of generated documentation.
Note: This depends also on your licenses for other features
used during the generation, e.g. the template set, integrations
(see Multiple Licenses).
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In DocFlex/XML (Full Edition), the generator is part of DocFlex/XML SDK and covered by the “DocFlex/XML SDK” license.
In DocFlex/XML RE, the generator is covered by Free License, which allows the following:
Feature / Functionality | Availability |
---|---|
Execution of templates provides by Filigris Works.
Note: This depends also on your license for that particular template application
(see Licensing of Templates).
|
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Execution of any custom templates.
Note: If your custom templates are derived from a template set provided by Filigris Works,
their execution will depend also on your license for that template application
(see Licensing of Templates).
|
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Any number of input XML files | ![]() |
Support of XML Catalogs for input XML files | ![]() |
Generator GUI | ![]() |
Generation of HTML, RTF, TXT (plain text) output | ![]() |
Any number of output files of any size | ![]() |
Possible usage of generated documentation.
Note: This depends also on your licenses for other features
used during the generation, e.g. the template set, integrations
(see Multiple Licenses).
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All template applications are available in both editions of DocFlex/XML. However, each of them is a separate product:
App | Description | License |
---|---|---|
Allows you to compile any number of generic XML files into a web-ready HTML or printable RTF documentation
with the optional inclusion of a namespace binding report that shows which namespace prefixes are bound
to which namespace URIs and where.
Although, we put this template set into
“Samples” category, we think it might be
quite useful anyway. For more details, please see:
DocFlex/XML | Sample | XMLDoc
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free | |
Implements a very powerful XML Schema Documentation Generator
able to produce both multi-framed Javadoc-like
HTML and printable
RTF documentation.
For more details, please see:
DocFlex/XML | XSDDoc.
Note: This is a commercial template application, which requires separate licensing. See also:
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System | Integration | Implementation | License |
---|---|---|---|
Allows you to run DocFlex/XML generator from your Ant build.
For more details, please see:
DocFlex/XML | Integrations | Apache Ant
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settings in your Ant build file | free | |
Allows you to run DocFlex/XML generator from your Maven build.
For more details, please see:
DocFlex/XML | Integrations | Apache Maven
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Maven plugin (Java open source); settings in your Maven project file | free | |
Allows you automatically to insert the graphics diagrams produced by XMLSpy into the
XML schema documentation generated by DocFlex/XML XSDDoc
(with full support of diagram hyperlinks). For more details, please see:
DocFlex/XML | Integrations | XMLSpy.
This integration is a commercial product, which requires separate licensing!
See also:
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hardcoded in Java (included in
docflex-xml.jar );
specifically supported in XSDDoc templates
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Allows you to automatically insert the graphics diagrams produced by Oxygen XML Editor into the
XML schema documentation generated by DocFlex/XML XSDDoc
(with the full support of diagram hyperlinks). For more details, please see:
DocFlex/XML | Integrations | Oxygen XML.
This integration is a commercial product, which requires separate licensing.
See also:
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hardcoded in Java (included in
docflex-xml.jar );
specifically supported in XSDDoc templates
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License For | Description |
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This license covers a universal System Development Kit and Runtime Environment
for rapid development and execution of template-driven automatic documentation/report
generators by any data obtained from XML files.
In fact, the whole XML schema documentation generator
(DocFlex/XML XSDDoc) has been developed only with this tool!
A commercial license for DocFlex/XML SDK
will give you the ultimate control over the XSDDoc template set:
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A commercial license for “DocFlex/XML XSDDoc”
will unlock all fuctionality implemented in
XSDDoc templates.
In particular, you will be able:
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If you are already a user of
Altova XMLSpy®
(or may acquire it soon), we offer you to purchase an additional license
for the integration of DocFlex/XML with XMLSpy.
This will allow you to automatically insert the graphics diagrams produced by XMLSpy into
the XML schema documentation generated by DocFlex/XML XSDDoc
(with full support of diagram hyperlinks).
Together with the license for “DocFlex/XML XSDDoc”,
that will give you a fantastic XML Schema Documentation Generator with diagramming capabilities
no other single product is offering now!
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For those who use Oxygen XML Editor,
there is an
integration with it too.
Now, in place of XMLSpy's diagrams (see above),
you can have similar diagrams generated by Oxygen XML.
All diagram hyperlinks provided by Oxygen XML are there as well!
All you need is to purchase a license covering that
integration.
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License Bundles | |
This license pack will allow you both to generate fully featured XML schema documentation and automatically insert in it
the content model diagrams generated by Altova XMLSpy®.
In effect, that will let you use the unified
DocFlex/XML XSDDoc+XMLSpy
XML schema documentation generator.
Two commercial licenses cover this:
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The similar license pack to allow using Oxygen XML Editor
as a provider of XSD diagrams inserted automatically in the XML schema documentation generated by
DocFlex/XML XSDDoc.
Two commercial licenses cover this:
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DocFlex/XSD II
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This license pack will let you not only generate fully featured XML schema documentation with
XMLSpy diagrams included,
but also redesign that documentation so much you need (as well as create/modify any other documentation
generators based on DocFlex/XML templates).
It includes three commercial licenses:
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