Color coding in XML output from 9.2

[axial]

Several users upgraded to 9.2 from 9.1 yesterday, and we've all found that the output pane is no longer color coded as it had been. We're generating XML. If the same output file is viewed in a "regular" pane it does have coloring, so it is being recognized as XML correctly.

The upgrade retained other preference settings, so it wasn't an issue of returning to defaults.

We're on WinXP, SP2. We use an external XSLT engine, if that makes any difference. In my case I updated by overwriting the previous installed 9.1.

We're grateful for your attention to this seemingly minor detail.

[sorin_ristache]

Hello,

What do you mean you upgraded by overwriting the previous version? Did you copy the files of the new version to the install folder of the previous version and in this way did you overwrite the files of the previous version? This is not a recommended way of upgrading to a new version. If you look at the installation instructions on the Download page you can read "A new version of <oXygen/> should not be installed in the same folder as a previous version."

If you set up an external XSLT engine, you use it in a transformation scenario and you select Show As XML for the output of the scenario then the output should be displayed in an output pane at the bottom of the Oxygen window and it should be colored as an XML document. If it is not colored as XML document on your computer please specify more details about the transformation or send us sample files for reproducing the problem: the XML file, the XSLT stylesheet, the command line of the external XSLT engine set in Preferences -> XML -> XSLT/FO/XQuery -> Custom Engines.


Regards,
Sorin

[spidermanx64]

Sorin, I actually uninstalled Oxygen 9.1 using Add/Remove programs, rebooted, and then installed Oxygen 9.2. Using external XSLT engine, and results are not color-coded anymore as they were in ver 9.1

I think I'll just go back to ver 9.1 unless you have further information

-mark

[sorin_ristache]

Hello,

The panel with the standard output (the standard output stream) of an external processor is not color coded anymore starting with version 9.2. However the panel with the output file generated by the external transformer (the Show as XML option of the transformation scenario) is color coded so you should be able to see the XML output of your transformation in a color coded form if you enable the Show as XML option of the scenario.


Regards,
Sorin

[axial]

Thanks, Sorin.

I do have the "Show as XML" option enabled for the external engine, but it's not displaying in color coded form in the bottom panel, the one with the tab reading "External Tools - [name of engine]". I run the external tool by using Tools > External Tools.

Based on your saying this is an intended change in ver 9.2, it sounds like there isn't anything to be gained by sending you details of our settings...?

Not having color-coded output from external engines is a significant loss for usability for us; is there any hope that it can be reconsidered?

Sheila

[axial]

Sorin, one more thing that I've noticed (I can't compare how 9.1 operates without installing it again) is that the content in the output window has the following line before the xml declaration:

Started: [resolved text of the commandline to the external engine, input paths + filenames]

and at the end of the output content:

Process ended with exit code: 0

The command line is:
c:\Program Files\xxx\bin\yyyyy -xsl ${dbgXSL} ${dbgXML}

Could it be that those two lines are interfering with recognizing the output as XML and therefore clobbering the color coding?

[sorin_ristache]

We use an external XSLT engine, if that makes any difference.

I run the external tool by using Tools > External Tools.

I understand that it is an external tool that you configure in Preferences -> External Tools not an external XSLT engine that you configure in Preferences -> XML -> XSLT/FO/XQuery -> Custom Engines and use in a transformation scenario.

Not having color-coded output from external engines is a significant loss for usability for us; is there any hope that it can be reconsidered?

The output of an external tool is not an XML document because as you noted there are text lines like "command line is: ..." and "exit code: ...". So we removed XML color coding from an output panel with text content. For your case where an external tool generates XML output the color coding is useful so we will add an user option in a future version for enabling color coding in an external tool output panel.


Regards,
Sorin

[spidermanx64]

Hi, do we expect to the user option to enable color-coded results when using External Tool in the next version? I do not see the option in version 9.3...

Thanks!

[sorin_ristache]

Hello,

The option for enabling color coded output of an external tool will not be added in the next version. However we have it logged in our tracking system and it will be added in one of the future versions, maybe somewhere at the end of this year or the beginning of the next year.


Regards,
Sorin

[axial]

Is there any chance that this issue has been addressed in ver. 10?

[sorin_ristache]

Hello,

Color coding was not added in the output panel of an external tool. We have the issue logged in our system for one of the future versions.


Regards,
Sorin