How to: Select the XML Schemas to Use

Note

This article applies to Visual Studio 2015. If you're looking for the latest Visual Studio documentation, see Visual Studio documentation. We recommend upgrading to the latest version of Visual Studio. Download it here

The XML Editor provides a schema cache located in the %InstallDir%\Xml\Schemas directory. The schema cache includes well-known XML schemas that are used for IntelliSense and XML document validation.

The Schemas document property is used to select one or more XML schema definition language (XSD) schema(s) to use. It allows you to select schemas from the schema cache, or to specify a schema that is not located in the cache.

The schemas you specify are saved in the hidden Solution user options file (.suo), along with all other XML document properties. As a result, you do not have to re-enter these values the next time you open the solution.

Note

The editor can validate using an inline schema, or a schema referenced by the xsd:schemaLocation attribute. For more information, see XML Document Validation.

To select an XML Schema from the schema cache

1. Open a file in the XML editor.

2. In the document properties window, click the button on the Schemas field.

   The XML Schemas dialog box is displayed. The dialog box lists all schemas with an .xsd extension in the schema cache (including schemas referenced in the catalog.xml file), and also any schema that is in the current solution, open in Visual Studio, referenced in an xsd:schemaLocation attribute, or referenced in the Schemas property.

3. Select the schemas to use for validation by doing one of the following:

   • Select a schema listed in the XML Schemas dialog, click the Use column, and then select Use this schema.

     -or-

   • Select multiple schemas listed in the XML Schemas dialog, right-click and select Use this schema.

4. Click OK.

   The list of selected schemas is copied back to the Schemas document property.

To add an XML Schema to the schema cache

1. In the document properties window, click the button on the Schemas field.

2. Click Add.

   This opens the Open XSD Schema dialog.

3. Browse and select the schema(s) to add to the schema cache.

4. Click Open.

   The schema(s) added to the schema cache and is the Use column value is set to Use this schema.

To delete an XML Schema from the schema cache

1. In the document properties window, click the button on the Schemas field.

2. Select the schema to remove and then click Remove.

   The schema is removed from the in-memory schema cache, but it is not removed from the file system.

   Note

   If you still have a reference to the schema via a schemaLocation attribute, or a matching targetNamespace then Remove will not work in this situation due to auto-association. In this case it is recommended that you mark the schema as Do not use selected schemas in the Use column.

See Also

Schema Cache XML Schemas Dialog Box XML Editor