You can save the schema currently being edited from any of the XML Authority windows by making use of the File menu's Save and Save As... options. If the user has made edits in several XML Authority windows for the same schema, simply selecting File, then Save or Save As..., will save all of the changes made in any of the schema's windows.
Save will automatically save the schema to its current given filename; if it does not have one yet (i.e., it is Untitled), XML Authority will prompt the user to give the schema a filename (using a Save As... dialog box). Save As... will always prompt the user for a filename before saving (see Figure A).
Figure A - Save As... dialog box
When the Save As... dialog box first appears, the default area to save in is the Windows desktop. You can select a different folder to save in by clicking on the pull down button (arrow) to the right of the currently displayed "Save in" folder, or by double-clicking the appropriate folder when it appears in the window. A filename for the schema must be typed in the "File Name" area of the dialog box.
The "Save as type" drop-down box lets you choose the format for the file. Options include DTD, XDR Schema, BizTalk Compatible, SOX, XSDL, OneSoft, and MetaSchema. If you already saved this file in a particular format, that format will be selected. If you want to change the format of the file, you can save it into another format. Unlike the export option on the File menu, future saves of the same document will be in the format you chose.
NOTE: XML Authority will automatically append the filename extension for the format selected in the "Save as type" drop-down box ( .dtd, .xdr, .biz, etc.) to the saved file. You can enter extensions manually in the "File name" box, but be aware that the format indicated by the extension will take precedence over the format selected in "Save as type." For example, typing myfile.dtd will save the current file as a DTD, even if SOX schema (*.sox) has been selected in the "Save as type" drop down.
Due to differences between schema languages, some information may need to be modified or omitted when saving a schema in a new dialect. For example, parameter and general entities--supported only within a DTD--cannot be represented if the DTD in which they appear is saved as another schema definition language. Loss due to conversion is also an issue when converting from more extensible schema dialects to less extensible schema dialects. For example, user defined data types and namespaces associated with an XSDL schema will not be understood if converted to a DTD.
Whenever a modification is required during the conversion process, XML Authority displays a warning message (Fig. B).
Figure B- Conversion alert
The warning box provides the user with the option to cancel the conversion, save and proceed with the conversion, or view changes to first see what information will be lost or modified. If you decide to view the changes, a new pane will appear (Figure C) indicating which parts of the original schema will be changed or modified. In Figure C, the message indicates that the user-defined data type defined in XSDL will not be supported when converted to a DTD.
Figure C- View Changes Window
The view changes pane provides the user three choices:
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