Validating IMS import files

The Vista PowerLinks: System Integration Guide refers to a set of XML schema documents in the <WebCTDomain>/serverconfs/SystemmIntegrationApi directory. These documents can be modified slightly to perform XML validation.

The files in <WebCTDomain>/serverconfs/SystemIntegrationApiare there for the system to load, in the context of the application server. We just need to change where the base IMS EP schema is loading a dependent file from.

To use the .xsd files included with Vista to validate IMS XML imports:

1. Create copies of the *.xsd files in a directory outside of the WebCT domain directory.WARNING: Do not modify the originals! They are required by Vista.
2. Open the copy of imsep_rootv1p01.xsd and change the xsd:import tag to:

   <xsd:import namespace="http://www.w3.org/XML/1998/namespace"
   schemaLocation="ims_xml.xsd"/>

3. Use the following enterprise tag (This assumes your IMS XML files are in the same directory as the .xsd files. If not, add path information to the schema filenames in xsi:schemaLocation below)

   <enterprise
   xmlns="http://www.imsproject.org/xsd/imsep_rootv1p01"
   xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
   xmlns:webct="http://www.webct.com/IMS"
   xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.imsproject.org/xsd/imsep_rootv1p01
   imsep_rootv1p01a.xsd
   http://www.webct.com/IMS
   imsep_WebCTv1p01.xsd">

4. Send the IMS XML document through a validating parser or open it in an XML editor like XMLSpy and validate.

For more information on importing IMS XML into Vista, see the current version of the Vista PowerLinks System Integration Guide.

This article originally authored by Chris Dixon and Paul Monk on the WebCT DevNet