The Stylus Studio XQuery Editor

In Stylus Studio, you use the XQuery editor's textual editor and graphical interfaces to work with XQuery. The XQuery editor consists of two tabs, XQuery Source and Mapper; you can use either or both tabs to compose an XQuery.

By default, Stylus Studio gives new XQuery files a .xquery extension. You can save XQuery using any extension you choose. If you decide to use a different extension, use the File Types page of the Options dialog box to associate that extension with the XQuery editor.

XQuery Source Tab

You can use the XQuery Source tab to view, compose, preview, and debug your XQuery. For example, you can edit query text directly, set breakpoints, and debug your XQuery on this tab. The tab is divided into two panes:

You can define other XQuery editor settings on the Editor General and Editor Format pages of the Options dialog box. (Click Tools > Options.)

You can preview the XQuery result by clicking the Preview Result button ( ). Results are displayed in the Preview window at the bottom of the XQuery editor, and, optionally, in any external application that you specify.

Mapper Tab

The Mapper tab provides an interface that allows you to compose and view your XQuery graphically.

Figure 319. XQuery Editor Mapper Tab

As with the XQuery Source tab, you can preview XQuery results from the Mapper tab by clicking the Preview Result button ( ). Debugging, however, can be performed from the XQuery Source tab only.

XQuery Source and Mapper Tab Interaction

Changes made to an XQuery on the Mapper tab are reflected on the XQuery Source tab, and vice versa. For example, if you start writing your XQuery on the XQuery Source tab and then click the Mapper tab, Stylus Studio displays a graphic representation of your XQuery code. If you next edit the XQuery graphically (adding a function or a FLWOR block and mapping the return value to a node in the target structure, for example) and then return to the XQuery Source tab, you will see that Stylus Studio has updated the XQuery code based on your edits on the Mapper tab. Viewing the code on the XQuery Source tab that Stylus Studio creates based on actions performed on the Mapper tab can be a useful aid to learning XQuery syntax.