| name | mps-lang-core-xml |
| description | Use when authoring XML documents as MPS root nodes or building XML-generating generator templates with jetbrains.mps.core.xml — covers XmlFile, XmlDocument, prolog (XML declaration, DOCTYPE, processing instructions, comments), elements, attributes, CDATA, entity references, and macro attachment via the smodelAttribute role for templates that emit XML output. |
| type | reference |
jetbrains.mps.core.xml Language
jetbrains.mps.core.xml is an MPS language for authoring and generating XML documents inside MPS models. It is used either for direct XML authoring (an XmlFile root holds a complete document) or for generator templates (an XmlFile carries RootTemplateAnnotation and macros via smodelAttribute child roles).
Language reference: l:479c7a8c-02f9-43b5-9139-d910cb22f298:jetbrains.mps.core.xml
Critical Directives
- Wrap everything in
XmlFile → XmlDocument. XmlFile is the only rootable concept. XmlDocument.rootElement has cardinality 1 — put the root there, not in content.
XmlProlog is optional (0..1). Omit it entirely when no prolog is needed.- Attribute values are lists of
XmlValuePart. A plain string is a single XmlTextValue. An attribute with no value children renders as a valueless (boolean) attribute.
- Property name asymmetry:
XmlText / XmlSingleLineText use the property value. XmlTextValue (attribute value part) uses the property text. Do not swap them.
- In generators, macros go in the
smodelAttribute child role of the node they annotate — not as siblings in content or attributes.
- Subclass the base types. Extend
XmlBaseAttribute (not XmlAttribute) and XmlBaseElement (not XmlElement) when defining custom concepts for derived languages.
- Do not hand-edit serialized
.mps files. Use MPS MCP node tools for all changes.
Common-Path Workflow
- Add
jetbrains.mps.core.xml as a used language on the target model. For generator templates, also add jetbrains.mps.lang.generator.
- Create an
XmlFile root node with a name. The name is the template/document identifier, not the output filename.
- Add an
XmlDocument child in role document. Optionally add an XmlProlog for declarations/comments/PIs.
- Build the document tree under
XmlDocument.rootElement and the inner content lists.
- For generator templates, attach
RootTemplateAnnotation to the XmlFile via smodelAttribute, and attach macros (PropertyMacro, LoopMacro, CopySrcNodeMacro, …) to inner nodes via their smodelAttribute role.
- Validate with
mps_mcp_check_root_node_problems.
Related Skills
mps-aspect-generator — for generator-side macro design that produces these XML templates.mps-aspect-textgen — for the text-serialization layer that turns these XML trees into output files.mps-node-editing — generic JSON-blueprint node creation/replacement workflow.
Reference Index
- Concept catalog — open when you need exact concept names, properties, cardinalities, or aliases for any document, prolog, element, attribute, or content node. See references/concept-catalog.md.
- JSON blueprint patterns — open when constructing or editing concrete XML trees as JSON for
mps_mcp_insert_root_node_from_json, mps_mcp_update_node. Includes minimal files, prolog with declarations, DOCTYPE, comments, attributes, mixed values, CDATA, processing instructions, and a full generator-template example. See references/json-blueprints.md.
- Rules and pitfalls — open when a node validates but the rendered XML is wrong, when attribute/value naming feels inconsistent, or before subclassing element/attribute concepts. See references/rules-and-pitfalls.md.
- Language dependencies — open when setting up a new model that uses XML concepts, or when wiring generator templates that mix XML with generator macros. See references/language-dependencies.md.
