XSD Simple Elements
XML Schemas define the elements of your XML files.
A simple element is an XML element that contains only text.
It cannot contain any other elements or attributes.
What is a Simple Element?
A simple element is an XML element that can contain only text. It cannot
contain any other elements or attributes.
However, the "only text" restriction is quite misleading. The text
can be of many different types. It can be one of the types included in
the XML Schema definition (boolean, string, date, etc.), or it can be a custom type that you can define
yourself.
You can also add restrictions (facets) to a data type in order to
limit its content, or you can require the data to match a specific pattern.
Defining a Simple Element
The syntax for defining a simple element is:
<xs:element name="xxx" type="yyy"/>
|
where xxx is the name of the element and yyy is the data type of the element.XML Schema has a lot of built-in data types. The most
common types are:
- xs:string
- xs:decimal
- xs:integer
- xs:boolean
- xs:date
- xs:time
Example
Here are some XML elements:
<lastname>Refsnes</lastname>
<age>36</age>
<dateborn>1970-03-27</dateborn>
|
And here are the corresponding simple element definitions:
<xs:element name="lastname" type="xs:string"/>
<xs:element name="age" type="xs:integer"/>
<xs:element name="dateborn" type="xs:date"/>
|
Default and Fixed Values for Simple Elements
Simple elements may have a default value OR a fixed value specified.
A default value is automatically assigned to the element when no other value
is specified.
In the following example the default value is "red":
<xs:element name="color" type="xs:string" default="red"/>
|
A fixed
value is also automatically assigned to the element, and you cannot specify
another value.
In the following example the fixed value is "red":
<xs:element name="color" type="xs:string" fixed="red"/>
|
Whether you're new to XML or already an advanced user, the user-friendly views
and powerful entry helpers, wizards, and debuggers in XMLSpy are designed to
meet your XML and Web services development needs from start to finish.
- XML editor
- Graphical XML Schema / DTD editors
- XSLT 1.0/2.0 editor, debugger, profiler
- XQuery editor, debugger, profiler
- Support for Office Open XML (OOXML)
- Graphical WSDL editor & SOAP debugger
- Java, C#, C++ code generation
- And much more!
Download a free 30-day trial today!
Click to see a demo!
Learn what’s new in v2008
 |
|
Get Your Diploma!
W3Schools' Online Certification Program is the perfect solution for busy
professionals who need to balance work, family, and career building.
The HTML Certificate is for developers who want to document their knowledge of HTML, XHTML, and CSS.
The ASP Certificate is for developers who want to document their knowledge of ASP, SQL, and ADO.
|
| 
HOME
Printer friendly page
