This series explores the use of the XML Designer, a special part of the Visual Studio.NET IDE that allows you to work closely with XML Schemas for raw XML files, DataSets and more.

This ship has sailed …

This webpage describes a single series/course, each course containing many screencast videos. HOWEVER …

This series/course has been removed from our collection, probably because we have updated it with a newer version.

Read why I decided to keep old pages like this around. Or better yet, visit the home page … its the best place to get started.

Videos in this series:

1. Walkthrough: Creating an XSD Schema

   XML Schemas (XSD) are important in Visual Studio.NET. They define how XML should be properly formatted and are used extensively in ADO.NET Data Sets, Classes and most XML operations. This walkthrough demonstrates how to create a XSD Schema using the XML Designer in Visual Studio.NET, adding descriptive elements such as attributes and attribute groups, complexTypes, simple types and facets, relationships and more. It also highlights ways to navigate and organize the XML Designer objects.

2. Walkthrough: Creating an XML Document based on a Schema

   This video is a continuation from 2501 and shows how to create an XML document that is based on the XSD that was created in the previous lesson. It first shows how to create an XML document, and link it to the Schema. It then shows how to enter and navigate the XML Data Editor to add data into the XML document in a simple GUI.

3. Walkthrough: Generating a DataSet from a Schema

   Datasets provide a new way of persisting and managing data in ADO.NET, and XSDs are central to their existence. This video shows how to create a DataSet given an XSD, and shows what was created in code for the DataSet. It also demonstrates how to preview a DataSet to see its attributes and settings.

4. XML Designer User Interface

   While these Visual Studio.NET tools were glossed over in the previous three ‘walkthrough’ videos, we take a few minutes to explain the use of a few of the user interface tools for use when creating an XSD Schema in the XML designer.

5. Understanding Elements and Attributes

   This video goes into greater explanation of the use of the Element and Attribute elements, and what the visual designer is doing ‘behind the scenes’ to create a XSD Schema.

6. Creating Sub Elements (Unnamed Complex Types)

   Sub Elements are useful for create ‘ownership’ or ‘has a’ relationships in an XSD Schema. This video explains how to create a Sub Element in the XML Designer.

7. Understanding SimpleTypes and Facets

   SimpleTypes are re-usable definitions of data types within a schema. They enforce consistency throughout your XSD Schema and potentially reduce its size. Also, Facets can provide additional information or meta-data about a data element. This video demonstrates how to create and use each of these XML elements.

8. Understanding (Named) Complex Types

   Named Complex Types are like SimpleTypes, except that they can contain many Elements and Sub Elements. The enforce consistency throughout your XSD Schema and potentially reduce its size. This video demonstrates how to create Named Complex Types in the XML Designer.

9. Understanding Groups

   Groups define valid values for an XML Element to limit the potential correct values. This is used typically to enforce business rules within an application. This video demonstrates how to create the three different forms of Groups in the XML Designer.

10. Understanding Keys

    Keys allow you to create relations, the topic of the next video in this series. This video explains what keys are in more depth, how to create them using the Edit Key dialog, and what is generated by the XML Schema Designer.

11. Understanding Relations

    Relations take two complex type elements (which Microsoft’s documentation refer to as tables … just like you would find tables in a database or ADO.NET DataSet) and create relations between them. Thse relations serve two purposes. First, when the XML Schema is used to generate a Dataset, the relation allows you to look up all the records from a child table that relate to a record in the parent table. Additionally, relations allow you to enforce referential integrity in your Dataset. This video explains the creation of relations, including the Edit Relations dialog, as well as how to edit and delete relations and keys.