XSD Schema and IntelliSense Setup

The WixJsonFileExtension includes a comprehensive XSD schema file that provides rich IntelliSense support in IDEs like Visual Studio and VS Code.

What’s Included

The json.xsd schema file provides:

Using the Schema

Automatic Usage

The schema is automatically available when you reference the extension namespace in your WiX source files:

<Wix xmlns="http://wixtoolset.org/schemas/v4/wxs"
     xmlns:Json="http://schemas.hegsie.com/wix/JsonExtension">
  
  <!-- IntelliSense will work for all Json: prefixed elements -->
  <Json:JsonFile ... />
  <Json:ConnectionString ... />
  <Json:AppSettings ... />
</Wix>

Visual Studio Setup

Visual Studio automatically discovers XSD schemas from referenced NuGet packages. No additional setup is required.

VS Code Setup

For VS Code, you need to install the Red Hat XML extension and configure it to use the schema.

  1. Install the XML extension: 
    code --install-extension redhat.vscode-xml
  2. Locate the schema file: The schema is included in the NuGet package under schemas/json.xsd. After adding the package reference, it will be in: 
    ~/.nuget/packages/wixjsonfileextension/{version}/schemas/json.xsd

  3. Configure VS Code: Add an XML catalog to your workspace .vscode/settings.json:

    {
  "xml.catalogs": [
    "path/to/catalog.xml"
  ]
}
  4. Create catalog.xml: 
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<catalog xmlns="urn:oasis:names:tc:entity:xmlns:xml:catalog">
  <uri 
    name="http://schemas.hegsie.com/wix/JsonExtension" 
    uri="~/.nuget/packages/wixjsonfileextension/6.0.0/schemas/json.xsd" />
</catalog>

Schema Elements

JsonFile Element

The core element for JSON file manipulation. IntelliSense provides:

Example IntelliSense tooltip for Action attribute:

Action (default: "setValue")
The action to perform on the JSON file. Default is 'setValue'.
Choose from: readValue, setValue, deleteValue, replaceJsonValue, 
createJsonPointerValue, appendArray, insertArray, removeArrayElement, 
distinctValues.

Composite Elements

High-level elements with simplified syntax:

AppSettings

<Json:AppSettings 
  Id="SetEnvironment"          <!-- Required: Unique identifier -->
  File="[#AppSettings]"        <!-- Required: Path to JSON file -->
  Key="Environment"            <!-- Required: Dot-notation path -->
  Value="Production"           <!-- Required: Value to set -->
  Sequence="1"                 <!-- Optional: Execution order (default: 1) -->
  CreateIfMissing="yes" />     <!-- Optional: Create if missing (default: yes) -->

ConnectionString

<Json:ConnectionString 
  Id="SetConnection"           <!-- Required: Unique identifier -->
  File="[#AppSettings]"        <!-- Required: Path to JSON file -->
  Name="DefaultConnection"     <!-- Required: Connection string name -->
  Value="Server=..."           <!-- Required: Connection string value -->
  Sequence="1" />              <!-- Optional: Execution order (default: 1) -->

LoggingLevel

<Json:LoggingLevel 
  Id="SetLogLevel"             <!-- Required: Unique identifier -->
  File="[#AppSettings]"        <!-- Required: Path to JSON file -->
  Category="Default"           <!-- Optional: Log category (default: Default) -->
  Level="Information"          <!-- Required: Log level -->
  Sequence="1" />              <!-- Optional: Execution order (default: 1) -->

JsonTransaction Element

Groups multiple related JSON operations:

<Json:JsonTransaction 
  Id="DatabaseConfig"          <!-- Required: Unique identifier -->
  File="[#AppSettings]"        <!-- Optional: Default file for nested elements -->
  BaseSequence="10">           <!-- Optional: Base sequence number (default: 1) -->
  
  <!-- Nested JsonFile elements -->
  <Json:JsonFile ... />
  <Json:JsonFile ... />
</Json:JsonTransaction>

IntelliSense Features by Element

JsonFile

AppSettings

ConnectionString

LoggingLevel

JsonTransaction

Tips for Best IntelliSense Experience

  1. Keep namespace declarations at the top: 
    <Wix xmlns="http://wixtoolset.org/schemas/v4/wxs"
     xmlns:Json="http://schemas.hegsie.com/wix/JsonExtension">

  2. Use Ctrl+Space to trigger IntelliSense manually in VS Code

  3. Hover over attributes to read full documentation

  4. Pay attention to red underlines - they indicate missing required attributes or validation errors

  5. Use Tab to auto-complete attribute values, especially for Action enumerations

Troubleshooting

IntelliSense Not Working

  1. Check namespace declaration: Ensure xmlns:Json="http://schemas.hegsie.com/wix/JsonExtension" is present
  2. Verify NuGet package: Make sure WixJsonFileExtension package is installed
  3. Restart IDE: Sometimes a restart is needed after adding the package
  4. Check XML extension: In VS Code, verify Red Hat XML extension is installed and active
  5. Validate catalog: Ensure catalog.xml points to the correct schema file path

Schema Validation Errors

If you see validation errors but your syntax is correct:

  1. Ensure you’re using WixJsonFileExtension 6.0.0 or later
  2. Check that the schema file is accessible at the configured path
  3. Clear XML extension cache in VS Code: Command Palette > “XML: Clear cache”

Missing Attributes

The schema marks required attributes:

Schema Versioning

The schema namespace is:

http://schemas.hegsie.com/wix/JsonExtension

This namespace is version-agnostic and will be maintained across versions for backward compatibility. New features will be added without breaking existing elements.

Further Reading