XML Editor Just Wasted My Day

I can't believe this happened. And yet I can.

Try this:
Copy the following xml snippet into a file and save it with an ".xml" extension:

<rowset>
<row>
<blah>OPN                                     </BLAH>
</ROW>
</ROWSET>

If you open that file in e.g. Notepad++, then you see it as-is.

If you right-click on that file, select "Open With" -> "XML Editor". Now what do you see?

- <rowset>
- <row>
<blah>OPN</BLAH>
</ROW>
</ROWSET>

No padding spaces. 37 missing spaces to be exact.

Now, let's say one is troubleshooting a Biztalk map that it throwing output validation errors because a field exceeds the defined 20 character MaxLength. The input file looks fine (in XML Editor). "Why would Biztalk just pad this thing out to 40 characters?"

Would you say that it would be useful to know that the input file has 37 trailing spaces after the text?

How much time, would you say, one could waste Googling and trying various oddball things trying to get rid of this mysterious series of spaces? My answer to that question is embarrassing.

Not a happy developer today.