Internet Explorer displaying XML attributes in random order

Question

i am opening an xml file in Internet Explorer (9, Windows 7 64-bit).

Internet Explorer likes to display element attributes in random order, e.g.:

rather than in declared order:

<ApplicationVersion major="2" minor="2" release="12" build="687">2.2.12.687</ApplicationVersion>

e.g.:

Or

rather than:

Is there an element, attribute, xml-dtd, xml-schema, Internet Explorer option, Windows option anywhere that will instruct IE to display the XML in declared, rather than random order?

Answer 1

Attributes are unordered as defined by the xml standard.

from the standard:

Note that the order of attribute specifications in a start-tag or empty-element tag is not significant.

http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml/#sec-starttags

If you require order in attributes you are going to have to change your markup. I suggest something like the following:

<ApplicationVersion>
  <attribute name="major">2</attribute>
  <attribute name="minor">2</attribute>
  <attribute name="build">687</attribute>
</ApplicationVersion>

links:
Order of XML attributes after DOM processing
Can I enforce the order of XML attributes using a schema?

Answer 2

Internet Explorer 11 also has this disappointing failure to xml display as written.

Use Chrome instead to display xml, it also has colour syntax highlighting.