Viewing XML Files
Raw XML files can be viewed in Mozilla Firefox, IE 5.0+ and in Netscape 6.
However, to make XML documents to display like nice web pages, you will have to add some display information.
In Mozilla Firefox and IE 5.0+:
Click on a link to an XML file, type the direct URL in the address bar, or double-click on the name of an XML file in a folder. The XML document will be displayed with color-coded root and child elements. A plus (+) or minus sign (-) to the left of the elements can be clicked to expand or collapse the element structure. To view the raw XML source (without the + and - signs), select "View Page Source" or "View Source" from the browser menu.
In Netscape 6:
Open the XML file (via a link or URL), then right-click in XML file and select "View Page Source". The XML document will then be displayed with color-coded root and child elements.
Remember: Do not expect XML files to be formatted like HTML documents!
If an erroneous XML file is opened, the browser will report the error.
Why does XML display like this?
XML documents do not carry information about how to display the data.
Since XML tags are "invented" by the author of the XML document, browsers do not know if a tag like <table> describes an HTML table or a dining table.
Without any information about how to display the data, most browsers will just display the XML document as it is.