xml-formater

A VS Code extension for formatting XML files, specifically designed for Odoo development workflows.

Features

Smart XML Formatting: Automatically format XML with proper indentation and structure
Smart Validation: Validate XML before formatting with detailed error messages
- Shows line number and content where error occurs
- Highlights error line with red background in editor
- Auto-scrolls to error location
- Prevents formatting invalid XML files
- User-friendly error popups with Vietnamese support
- Customizable highlight duration
Format on Save: Optionally format XML files automatically when saving
Flexible Configuration Hierarchy: Support for .xmlformatterrc file, workspace settings, and user settings
Attribute Management:
- Break long lines with many attributes into separate lines
- Sort attributes alphabetically for consistent code style
- Preserve or reorganize attribute order based on your preferences
Intelligent Quote Handling: Preserves single and double quotes in XPath expressions and Odoo domains without converting to HTML entities
Odoo-Specific Formatting: Special formatting rules for Odoo XML files
Customizable Settings: Flexible configuration options for indentation, line length, and more

Configuration Hierarchy

The extension supports a three-level configuration hierarchy (from highest to lowest priority):

.xmlformatterrc (highest priority) - Project-specific configuration file
Workspace Settings - VS Code workspace settings
User Settings (lowest priority) - Global VS Code user settings

.xmlformatterrc File

Create a .xmlformatterrc file in your workspace root to override VS Code settings:

{
  "tabSize": 2,
  "useTabs": false,
  "alignAttributes": true,
  "keepCDATA": true,
  "emptyElementHandling": "selfClosing",
  "maxLineLength": 120,
  "sortAttributes": true,
  "closeTagOnNewLine": false,
  "preserveComments": true,
  "odooTagSpacing": true,
  "odooSpacingTags": ["record", "menuitem", "template"]
}

Available .xmlformatterrc Options:

tabSize (number): Indentation size → maps to indentSize
useTabs (boolean): Use tabs instead of spaces → maps to indentType
alignAttributes (boolean): Format attributes on separate lines → maps to formatAttributes
emptyElementHandling ("selfClosing" | "expand"): Self-closing tag behavior → maps to selfClosingTags
maxLineLength (number): Maximum line length
sortAttributes (boolean): Sort attributes alphabetically
closeTagOnNewLine (boolean): Put closing tag on new line
preserveComments (boolean): Preserve XML comments
odooTagSpacing (boolean): Add blank lines between Odoo tags
odooSpacingTags (string[]): List of tags to add spacing for

The .xmlformatterrc file is automatically watched for changes. When you modify it, the configuration will be reloaded immediately.

Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings:

Indentation Settings

xml-formater.indentSize: Number of spaces or tabs for indentation (default: 2, range: 1-8)
xml-formater.indentType: Type of indentation to use - spaces or tabs (default: spaces)

Line Length & Attributes

xml-formater.maxLineLength: Maximum line length before wrapping (default: 120, range: 80-200)
xml-formater.formatAttributes: Format attributes on separate lines when line exceeds maxLineLength (default: false)
- When enabled, tags with total line length > maxLineLength will have attributes on separate lines
- Each attribute gets its own line with proper indentation
xml-formater.closeTagOnNewLine: Put closing tag /> on a new line for multi-line formatted tags (default: false)
- Only affects tags formatted on multiple lines (when formatAttributes is true and line exceeds maxLineLength)
- When false: /> stays on same line as last attribute
- When true: /> goes on new line with same indentation as opening <
xml-formater.sortAttributes: Sort attributes alphabetically by name (default: false)
xml-formater.preserveAttributes: Preserve attribute order and formatting (default: true)

General Settings

xml-formater.selfClosingTags: Use self-closing tags for empty elements (default: true)
xml-formater.formatOnSave: Automatically format XML files when saving (default: false)
xml-formater.odooSpecific: Enable Odoo-specific XML formatting rules (default: true)
xml-formater.preserveComments: Preserve XML comments during formatting (default: true)
- When true: Comments are kept and properly formatted
- When false: Comments are removed during formatting

Odoo Tag Spacing (New!)

xml-formater.odooTagSpacing: Add blank lines between important Odoo tags (default: true)
xml-formater.odooSpacingTags: List of Odoo XML tags that should have blank lines between them (default: ['record', 'menuitem', 'template', 'function', 'delete', 'report'])
- When enabled, tags in this list will automatically have at least one blank line after them
- Improves readability for large Odoo XML files
- Customize the list to include only the tags important to your workflow

Smart Validation Settings

xml-formater.highlightErrorDuration: Duration in milliseconds to highlight error lines (default: 5000, range: 1000-30000)
- Controls how long error lines are highlighted with red background
- Auto-clears when editing document or switching files
- Set higher value for more time to read the error

Usage

Commands

Access these commands via Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P or Ctrl+Shift+P):

xml-formater: Format Document - Format the current XML document
xml-formater: Test Formatter - Run formatter tests
xml-formater: Show Configuration - Display current configuration
xml-formater: Debug Output Channel - Open debug output panel
xml-formater: Test Format On Save - Test format on save functionality

Example: Closing Tag Position for Long Lines

When a line with multiple attributes exceeds maxLineLength, the formatter automatically breaks it into multiple lines. The closeTagOnNewLine setting controls where the closing /> is placed:

Original (long line):

<field name="mobile" widget="phone" options="{'enable_sms': true, 'country_code': 'VN'}" placeholder="Enter mobile number" required="True"/>

With closeTagOnNewLine: false (default):

<field
    name="mobile"
    widget="phone"
    options="{'enable_sms': true, 'country_code': 'VN'}"
    placeholder="Enter mobile number"
    required="True"/>

With closeTagOnNewLine: true:

<field
    name="mobile"
    widget="phone"
    options="{'enable_sms': true, 'country_code': 'VN'}"
    placeholder="Enter mobile number"
    required="True"
/>

This also works for opening tags (not self-closing):

<!-- With closeTagOnNewLine: false -->
<xpath
    expr="//button[@name='action_view_delivery']"
    position="attributes"
    mode="extension">
    <attribute name="invisible">1</attribute>
</xpath>

<!-- With closeTagOnNewLine: true -->
<xpath
    expr="//button[@name='action_view_delivery']"
    position="attributes"
    mode="extension"
>
    <attribute name="invisible">1</attribute>
</xpath>

Note: This setting only affects tags that are formatted on multiple lines due to exceeding maxLineLength. Short single-line tags are not affected.

Example: Attribute Sorting

Before (with sortAttributes: true):

<record id="test_record" model="test.model" active="true" name="Test" priority="high">

After:

<record
  active="true"
  id="test_record"
  model="test.model"
  name="Test"
  priority="high">

Example: Quote Preservation in XPath and Odoo Domains

The formatter intelligently handles quotes in XPath expressions and Odoo domains, avoiding unnecessary HTML entity conversion:

Before formatting:

<xpath expr="//field[@name='partner_id']" position="before">
    <field name="domain">[('name', '=', 'test')]</field>
</xpath>

After formatting (quotes are preserved, not converted to '):

<xpath expr="//field[@name='partner_id']" position="before">
    <field name="domain">[('name', '=', 'test')]</field>
</xpath>

The formatter automatically:

Preserves ' in double-quoted attributes (doesn't convert to ')
Uses single quotes for attributes containing double quotes for better readability
Decodes unnecessary entities in text content

Example: Smart Validation

The Smart Validation feature validates XML before formatting and shows detailed error messages with visual highlighting:

Invalid XML (missing closing tag):

<field name="email"
<!-- Missing closing tag -->

What happens:

⚠️ Popup warning appears with error details
🔴 Error line is highlighted with red background
📍 Editor auto-scrolls to the error location
❌ Error message shows: "Expected closing tag 'field' (cột 5)"

Error Popup:

⚠️ XML không hợp lệ - Không thể format

📍 Dòng 10:
"<field name="email..."

❌ Lỗi: Expected closing tag 'field' (cột 5)

Visual Features:

Red background highlight on error line
Red border on the left side
Red marker in overview ruler (scrollbar area)
Auto-clear after 5 seconds (customizable)
Clears immediately when you edit the document

Benefits:

Prevents formatting invalid XML
Shows exact line number and column of error
Displays problematic line content (first 20 chars)
Visual highlighting makes error easy to spot
Auto-scroll saves time searching for error
No file changes when validation fails

For more details, see SMART-VALIDATION.md

Example: Odoo Tag Spacing

The Odoo Tag Spacing feature automatically adds blank lines between important Odoo tags for better readability:

Before formatting:

<odoo>
    <data>
        <record id="model_1" model="ir.model">
            <field name="name">Model 1</field>
        </record>
        <record id="model_2" model="ir.model">
            <field name="name">Model 2</field>
        </record>
        <menuitem id="menu_1" name="Menu 1"/>
        <menuitem id="menu_2" name="Menu 2"/>
    </data>
</odoo>

After formatting (with odooTagSpacing: true):

<odoo>
  <data>
    <record id="model_1" model="ir.model">
      <field name="name">Model 1</field>
    </record>

    <record id="model_2" model="ir.model">
      <field name="name">Model 2</field>
    </record>

    <menuitem id="menu_1" name="Menu 1"/>

    <menuitem id="menu_2" name="Menu 2"/>
  </data>
</odoo>

You can customize which tags should have spacing by modifying the xml-formater.odooSpacingTags setting.

Requirements

VS Code version 1.102.0 or higher

Known Issues

Complex nested JSON in attributes may need special handling
Very large XML files (>10MB) may have performance impacts

Release Notes

0.0.4

Added attribute sorting feature (sortAttributes)
Improved attribute formatting based on line length
Enhanced debug logging and output channel
Better format on save support

0.0.3

Added format on save functionality
Improved configuration management
Added test commands

0.0.1

Initial release
Basic XML formatting support

Following extension guidelines

Ensure that you've read through the extensions guidelines and follow the best practices for creating your extension.

Extension Guidelines

Working with Markdown

You can author your README using Visual Studio Code. Here are some useful editor keyboard shortcuts:

Split the editor (Cmd+\ on macOS or Ctrl+\ on Windows and Linux).
Toggle preview (Shift+Cmd+V on macOS or Shift+Ctrl+V on Windows and Linux).
Press Ctrl+Space (Windows, Linux, macOS) to see a list of Markdown snippets.

For more information

Enjoy!

xml-formater

Nguyen Huy

xml-formater

Features

Configuration Hierarchy

.xmlformatterrc File

Extension Settings

Indentation Settings

Line Length & Attributes

General Settings

Odoo Tag Spacing (New!)

Smart Validation Settings

Usage

Commands

Example: Closing Tag Position for Long Lines

Example: Attribute Sorting

Example: Quote Preservation in XPath and Odoo Domains

Example: Smart Validation

Example: Odoo Tag Spacing

Requirements

Known Issues

Release Notes

0.0.4

0.0.3

0.0.1

Following extension guidelines

Working with Markdown

For more information