• Chapter 1: Getting Started with Stylus Studio
• Chapter 2: Editing and Querying XML
• Chapter 3: Converting Non-XML Files to XML
  • Overview
  • Choosing an Input File
  • The Convert to XML Editor
  • Parts of an Input File
  • Working with Regions
  • Working with Fields
  • Controlling XML Output
  • Creating a Convert to XML Converter
  • Using Converters in Stylus Studio
  • Properties Reference
• Chapter 4: Working with XSLT
• Chapter 5: Creating XSLT Using the XSLT Mapper
• Chapter 6: Debugging Stylesheets
• Chapter 7: Defining XML Schemas
• Chapter 8: Defining Document Type Definitions
• Chapter 9: Writing XPath Expressions
• Chapter 10: Working with XQuery in Stylus Studio
• Chapter 11: Composing Web Service Calls
• Chapter 12: Accessing Relational Data as XML
• Chapter 13: Extending Stylus Studio
• Chapter 14: Stylus Studio Reference

Home > Online Product Documentation > Table of Contents > Document Grid

Document Grid

The document grid displays the input file's layout, including spaces, field separators, and control characters. The input file's appearance in the document grid is determined, in part, by its format.

This section covers the following topics:

Example - .txt Files

Stylus Studio uses slightly different displays for character-separated and fixed-width .txt files. Consider this file, which uses commas as the field separator:

Make,Model,Year,Mileage
               
BMW,R1150RS,2004,14274
               
Kawasaki,GPz1100,1996,60234
               
Ducati,ST2,1997,24000
               
Moto Guzzi,LeMans,2001,12393
               
BMW,R1150R,2002,17439
               
Ducati,Monster,2000,15682
               
Aprilia,Futura,2001,17320
               

            

Figure 142 shows how this character-separated input file appears in the Convert to XML Editor's document grid. By default, Stylus Studio aligns columns and fills the empty cells of the shorter rows with a light blue to aid readability:

Figure 142. Character-Separated File in the Convert to XML Document Grid

You can remove these spaces from the display and view the file in its native format by clicking the Align Fields button ( ) on the tool bar, or by selecting Convert to XML > Align Fields on the menu. This results in the layout shown in Figure 143.

Figure 143. Character-Separated File without Aligned Fields

Fixed-width files are displayed in a slightly different fashion. Consider this fixed-width input file:

Deep-sea octopus      Bathypolypus arcticus http://www.dal.ca/~ceph/TCP/barctic.html        
               
Blue-ringed octopus   Hapalochlaena lunulatahttp://www.dal.ca/~ceph/TCP/lunulata.html       
               
Caribbean reef octopusOctopus briareus      http://www.dal.ca/~ceph/TCP/obriar.html         
               
Giant octopus         Octopus dofleini      http://www.dal.ca/~ceph/TCP/giant.html          
               
Common octopus        Octopus vulgaris      http://www.dal.ca/~ceph/TCP/Octopusvulgaris.html
               
Red octopus           Octopus rubescens     http://www.dal.ca/~ceph/TCP/redocto.html        
               
Octopus Salutii       Octopus salutii       http://www.dal.ca/~ceph/TCP/Osalutii.html       
               
Octopus Macropus      Octopus macropus      http://www.dal.ca/~ceph/TCP/Omacropus.html 
               

            

In a fixed-width file, the empty cells represent actual values (spaces) in the input file. In the second row of this input file, for example, there are three spaces between the first and second columns:

Figure 144. Fixed-Width File in the Convert to XML Document Grid

Display of Delimiting and Control Characters

Stylus Studio displays delimiting and control characters in a way that distinguishes them from plain text values.

You can hide control characters by clicking the Toggle Control Characters button ( ) on the tool bar, or by selecting ConvertToXML > Toggle Control Characters from the menu.

Document Grid Display Features

In addition to aligning fields in character-delimited files, the Convert to XML Editor's document grid has several other features that aid readability.

Figure 145. Ruler Helps Identify Columns

To display the ruler, click the Toggle Ruler button ( ) on the tool bar, or select ConvertToXML > Toggle Ruler from the menu.

Figure 146. Matching Rows Are Displayed in Yellow

Matching rows are displayed in a dark yellow, with a green check in the grid's margin; a red x identifies rows that do not match the patter. To highlight matching rows, click the Highlight Matching Rows button ( ) on the tool bar, or select ConvertToXML > Highlight Matching Rows from the menu.

When you define a match pattern, only rows that match the pattern are output to XML. See Filtering Output to learn more about using the Match Pattern property.

Figure 147. You Can Hide Horizontal and Vertical Grid Lines

To hide horizontal and vertical grid lines, click the Toggle Horizontal Grid Lines ( ) and/or Toggle Vertical Grid Lines ( ) buttons on the tool bar, or select ConvertToXML > Toggle Horizontal Grid Lines and/or Toggle Vertical Grid Lines from the menu.

Moving Around the Grid

You can move the cursor around the grid