wrote: but I would like to know what is the purpose of formatting the data with XML, but in the way that it is incompatible with the tools for it? It's totally brainless IMO...
There's no purpose.
It was implemented as it is, and it worked. Nobody looked into validating the XML, nobody cared.
Someone made a booboo, and now it might be difficult to correct it, or at least easier to not correct it.
Maybe best to post this in the idea exchange: Properly format error code XML file, or something like that. Post the link here (and cross post the link to this thread) to actually get some kudo's.
I know I've run unproperly formatted XML files from NI this before. Not sure if it was the error codes file though.