Knowledgebase

If you want to validate an XML file against a XSD file and use the XSD schemas referenced by the XSD file in the validation, you can use the following C# code:

using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Xml;
using System.Xml.Schema;
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.TestTools.UnitTesting;

namespace Research.Rli
{
/// <summary>
/// Tests in this class are only used to analyse and research code.
/// It is not intended to contain real integration tests.
/// </summary>
[TestClass]
public class RliResearchTester
{
public RliResearchTester()
{
}

/// <summary>
/// Test xml validation against a XSD file.
/// </summary>
[TestMethod]
public void ValidateXmlTest()
{
    ValidateXml(@"C:\Data\Input.xml", @"C:\Data\ValidationSchema.xsd");
}
/// <summary>
/// Validates a xml file (found at the given xmlFilePath) to a XSD file (found at the given xsdFilePath).
/// </summary>
/// <param name="xmlFilePath">The xml file to validate.</param>
/// <param name="xsdFilePath">The xsd file used in the validation.</param>
/// <exception cref="ArgumentNullException">
/// Throws an ArgumentNullException, when xmlFilePath is null, empty or contains only white spaces.
/// </exception>
/// <exception cref="ArgumentNullException">
/// Throws an ArgumentNullException, when xsdFilePath is null, empty or contains only white spaces.
/// </exception>
/// <exception cref="ArgumentException">Throws an ArgumentException, when xmlFilePath does not exist.</exception>
/// <exception cref="ArgumentException">Throws an ArgumentException, when xsdFilePath does not exist.</exception>
/// <remarks>
/// - Includes schemas referenced by the given xsd file (recursively).
/// </remarks>
public void ValidateXml(string xmlFilePath, string xsdFilePath)
{
    if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(xmlFilePath)) { throw new ArgumentNullException("xmlFilePath"); }
    if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(xsdFilePath)) { throw new ArgumentNullException("xsdFilePath"); }
    if (!File.Exists(xmlFilePath))
    {
        throw new ArgumentException(string.Format("File [{0}] not found.", xmlFilePath));
    }
    if (!File.Exists(xsdFilePath))
    {
        throw new ArgumentException(string.Format("File [{0}] not found.", xsdFilePath));
    }

    var schemas = new XmlSchemaSet();

    // Use the target namespace specified in the XSD file. 
    schemas.Add(null, xsdFilePath);

    var readerSettings = new XmlReaderSettings();

    // Validate the xml file to an XSD file not an DTD or XDR.
    readerSettings.ValidationType = ValidationType.Schema;

    // Include schemas referenced by the given xsd file (recursively) in the validation proces.
    readerSettings.ValidationFlags |= XmlSchemaValidationFlags.ProcessSchemaLocation;

    // Warnings will fire the ValidationEventHandler function.
    readerSettings.ValidationFlags |= XmlSchemaValidationFlags.ReportValidationWarnings;
    readerSettings.Schemas.Add(schemas);

    // The function [ValidationEventHandler] will be used to handle all validation errors / warnings.
    readerSettings.ValidationEventHandler += ValidationEventHandler;

    using (var xmlReader = XmlReader.Create(xmlFilePath, readerSettings))
    {
        while (xmlReader.Read()) { }    // Validate XML file.
    }
}
/// <summary>
/// This event will fire on every XML validation error / warning.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="sender"></param>
/// <param name="args"></param>
public void ValidationEventHandler(object sender, ValidationEventArgs args)
{
    Console.WriteLine(string.Format("",
        new object[] { args.Exception, args.Exception.LineNumber, args.Exception.LinePosition }));
}
}
}