This request is already on Launchpad. Maybe it was not easy to find. But it has been there since
2007.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/171995Lots of people have requested this. As it saves a lot of time. Especially in big, complex projects. I know it from CorelDraw 10 years ago.
The XML editor is geeky and cluttered with much missing functionality. It is "not" suitable for non-techy, visual type people. The intended user base for inkscape.