Validate XML

Validate the XML structure of your topics and snippets to catch malformed markup before it causes build errors.

Validate XML (Project)

Validate all topics and snippets in the project:

1. Click Validate XML (Project) in the Project Analysis group.
2. All .htm and .flsnp files in the project are validated.
3. A report shows any XML errors found.

Validate XML (Folder)

Validate topics and snippets in a specific folder:

1. Click Validate XML (Folder).
2. Select the folder to validate.
3. All files in the folder (including subfolders) are validated.
4. A report shows any errors found.

Validate XML (TOC)

Validate all topics linked from a TOC:

1. Open a TOC file.
2. Click Validate XML (TOC).
3. All topics linked from the TOC are validated.
4. A report shows any errors found.

Validate XML (Topics)

Validate specific topic files:

1. Click Validate XML (Topics).
2. Select the topic files to validate.
3. Selected files are validated.
4. A report shows any errors found.

Common Issues Detected

• Unclosed tags
• Invalid nesting
• Missing required attributes
• Malformed entities
• Invalid characters
• Encoding problems

Fixing XML errors before building prevents cryptic build failures and improves project stability.