ForumsQuestionsEditing XML Files
Editing XML Files
| Author | Message |
|---|---|
|
John.macnamara |
Hi, I read that it is possible to edit exported XML Toodledo files in Excel, export from Excel back to XML and then import the file back into Toodledo.
I've been trying to do this but Excel 2010 won't let me export the edited (nor the non-edited file for that matter) to XML. It states "Cannot save or export XML data. the XML maps in this workbook are not exportable". If I delete the first four columns "title" "link" "toodledoversion" and "description" then Excel lets me export to XML but Toodledo does not see any tasks in the XML file when I try to import it. Is there a way to do this in Excel? If not, what is the easiest way/program to use to edit the Toodledo XML files? I don't want to edit in CSV as I'll use any subtasks. Thank you for any advice. |
|
Jake Toodledo Founder |
Someone else will have to answer this because I did not know that Excel could edit XML files and I have never tried this in combination with Toodledo Import.
|
|
ChristianDiscer |
Notepad++ is a free program editor with the ability to edit XML and other file types. Download from their web site at http://notepad-plus-plus.org/
|
|
John.macnamara |
Thank you Christian.
I'll give Notepad-Plus-Plus a try if they say it is not possible to use Excel. How do you find it for editing tasks? |
|
ChristianDiscer |
Posted by John.macnamara:
How do you find it for editing tasks? Very good at editing small to very large files. Plus it color codes XML tags making it easier to locate and edit the actual text. Regardless of why you need to edit toodledo's XML, I would caution to be extremely careful by making backups in case things go bad. I've not used Notepad++ specifically for XML, but find it handy to edit SQL code. Being a "programming" editor, certain tasks, like search/replace, may be daunting at first so take it one step at a time and you'll do fine. |
|
John.macnamara |
Thanks for the advice Christian. I shall give Notepad++ a go for editing.
I am still hoping to be able to use Excel if it is possible. I can then use VBA code to automate some editing of tasks and for the creation of project templates. |
|
chr.ver |
I use XML Copy Editor for this purpose (http://xml-copy-editor.sourceforge.net). It allows for Xpath expressions and XSL transforms. This allows you to transform the xml in a structured way (say retrieve all tasks with a certain tag and goal). For more info, consult http://www.w3schools.com/xsl/xsl_languages.asp. Of course, if you only need to do simple actions, this might be overkill.
|
|
John.macnamara |
Posted by chr.ver:
I use XML Copy Editor for this purpose (http://xml-copy-editor.sourceforge.net). Thanks, it seems very good for adding items but as you said it might be overkill for me. I'll keep it in mind for future needs though. |
|
w.m.christensen |
I know I am coming in late on this one. I figured out how to edit the XML and then import it again but all it did was add the tasks not edit the tasks that I wanted edited.
You just have to unmap those top fields you mentioned and then edit the first part of the XML to match a fresh export. It just added them though. It didn't edit my tasks I thought I edited. |
|
Jake Toodledo Founder |
The import tool only imports (adds tasks). It will not update tasks that already exist. We do not currently have a way to edit tasks outside of Toodledo and then integrate those edits back into the website. The closest you could get is to export the XML document, make the edits, delete all tasks on the website and then import the XML file which will recreate all the tasks with your changes. Note that this is risky and may cause any apps that sync with your account to sync slowly.
|
You cannot reply yet
U Back to topic home
R Post a reply
To participate in these forums, you must be signed in.