# Defining XML editor preferences

You can set various preferences for the Source view of the XML editor such as the formatter indentation style, line wrapping rules, and content assist rules.

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

To define XML preferences, perform the following steps:

1. Click Window > Preferences > Web and XML > XML Files > XML Source.
2. Enter a maximum width for formatted lines in the Line width field The default value is 72.
3. Select Split multiple attributes each on a new line to start every attribute on a new line.
4. The Indent using tabs check box is selected by default. If you clear it, spaces are used instead of tab characters.
5. If you want blank lines to be removed when the document is formatted, select the Clear all blank lines check box. By default, blank lines are preserved in a formatted document.
6. You can specify certain characters ('<' is default) that will cause the content assist list to pop up automatically. Ensure the Automatically make suggestions check box is selected and specify the characters in the Prompt when these characters are inserted field.
7. The Use inferred grammar in absence of DTD/Schema check box is selected by default. If this box is selected, when you have an XML file that is not associated with a DTD or XML schema, you will still be able to get content assist - the tool will infer what should come next in your file based on the existing content.
8. Click Apply and then OK to save your changes.

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