Handling XAML errors

If the Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) parser in Blend for Visual Studio 2012 encounters errors while loading or updating a .xaml document, Blend disables the artboard (the Design view) and displays a notification hyperlink to indicate that you must fix the XAML in Code view. Click the notification link to automatically switch to Code view.

Tip

We recommend that you have previous experience working with XAML before you begin to edit your Blend projects in Code view. Editing XAML directly may result in parsing errors in your application that you will have to fix before Blend can correctly display your documents on the artboard in Design view.

With this caution in mind, working between Design view and Code view can be an effective method for learning the basics of XAML.

To see more detailed information about parsing errors, view the Errors tab in the Results panel, as shown in the following image:

Errors tab of the Results panel, with errors displayed

The Errors tab (identified by ) displays the description, file name, line number, column number, and project name for each error in the list of XAML errors that the parser finds in your document. You can use the Go To command on the Edit menu to quickly locate a specific line in the XAML. After you fix the errors in your document, the Errors tab will be cleared and you can view the updated document on the artboard in Design view.

For more information about debugging XAML, see the topic Debug applications in this User Guide. For the syntax of individual controls, see Control Library on MSDN, or search for XAML elements and attributes in the "Class Library" reference on MSDN.

For more information about XAML and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), see the XAML Overview on MSDN, or visit the Windows Developer Center.

See Also

Tasks

Debug Blend applications in Visual Studio

Concepts

Debug applications