# Creating an XML file from scratch

You can create a new empty XML file, which you can then edit in the XML editor.

The following instructions were written for the Resource perspective, but they will also work in many other perspectives.

To create an XML file from scratch, follow these instructions:

1. If necessary, create a project to contain the XML file.
2. In the workbench, click File > New > Other > XML > XML. If you cannot see the XML option, select the Show All Wizards check box.
3. Click Next.
4. Click the Create XML file from scratch radio button.
5. Click Next.
6. Select the project or folder that will contain the XML file.
7. In the File name field, type the name of the XML file, for example `MyXMLFile.xml`. The name of your XML file must end in `.xml`.
8. Click Finish.

The XML file appears in the Navigator view and, by default, automatically opens in the XML source page editor. The XML source page editor offers limited functionality compared to the XML editor, so before editing the file, you should close it, then right-click the file in the Navigator view and click Open With > XML Editor to open the file in the XML editor.

To make the XML editor the default editor for XML files, select Window > Preferences > Workbench > File Associations, then select *.xml and XML Editor from the Associated Editors list. Click OK.

Related concepts
XML editor

Related tasks
Generating an XML file from a DTD
Generating an XML file from an XML schema
Editing XML files

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