Render XML debug view

The XSLT plug-ins Data Query XSL Render, ExtranetGuard and MailBuilder can be programmed to present their XML input at run-time in its entirety. This enables you to get a complete and usage-specific view of the XML that your XSL is working on.

To turn on this feature, simply emit a <Debug /> element as part of the visual markup (the XHTML), preview a page containing the identifier and press the “show xml” button:

1. Edit the XSL of the function to debug and place a <Debug /> element in the XHTML where you would like to have a debug button appear. In the case of ExtranetGuard and MailBuilder XSL this should be inside an <Output /> element.
2. Preview a page containing the identifier
3. A button is shown at the location of the <Debug /> element. Press it.
4. A pop-up window is shown, containing the XML that the XSL was initially handed.

Please note that the debug button is never shown on public pages – it will only render itself in preview mode. This enables you to activate the feature on production sites.

The pop-up window contains a color coded view of the XML for reference purposes, while a raw XML view is presented for easy export to other tools. Copying the raw XML and your existing XSL into a professional developer tool enables you to develop, debug and test your XSL in your preferred environment.

The XML you get is the “real deal” – if you change input that make Data Query Definitions return new results, like previewing another page ID or doing different kinds of searches on a search form this is reflected in the XML you get. This makes the <Debug /> feature very useful when evaluating the behavior of Data Queries and XSL in different request scenarios.