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Validating An XML Document: Week 18 Tutorial 3

An XML document can be validated using a DTD (Document Type Definition) to ensure it contains required elements and follows specified structure. A DTD defines elements, attributes, and content for an XML document. It is declared internally within the XML code or externally in a separate file. Elements are declared using tags that specify allowed content such as text only, child elements only, or a mix of text and elements. Occurrence indicators like ?, +, * define how many times an element can appear.

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53 views

Validating An XML Document: Week 18 Tutorial 3

An XML document can be validated using a DTD (Document Type Definition) to ensure it contains required elements and follows specified structure. A DTD defines elements, attributes, and content for an XML document. It is declared internally within the XML code or externally in a separate file. Elements are declared using tags that specify allowed content such as text only, child elements only, or a mix of text and elements. Occurrence indicators like ?, +, * define how many times an element can appear.

Uploaded by

Darshan Stha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Validating an XML

Document
Week 18
Tutorial 3
Creating a Valid Document
• Validation is required to ensure certain necessary elements are never omitted.

• For example, each customer order should include a customer name, address and phone
number.

• However, some elements and attributes may be optional such as email.

• An XML document can be validated using DTD.

• DTD stands for Document Type Definition.


Document Type Definition
• It defines the structure of the documents.

• Defines elements and attributes of an XML document.

• Ensures all required elements are present in the document.

• Prevents undefined elements from being used.

• Specify what sort of content can appear and where.

• Define default values for attributes.


Why use DTD?
• For example, if you are giving XML document to other(third parties), DTD helps make
XML document in a format.

• When the parser loads an XML file, it compares the DTD rule set with the content
(XML file) so that errors can be found easily.

• Using a standard DTD to verify the data received from the outside world.
Well formed and Valid XML
• An XML document is well-formed if all the tags are correctly formed and follow XML
rules.
• An XML document is valid if the XML documents succeeds validation against a
DTD.
• A valid XML refers to semantics whereas well-formed XML refers to syntax.
Declaring a DTD
• There can only be one DTD per XML document.

• DTD define the content and structure of the document.

• For example, element, attributes, entities, notations, processing instructions,


comments, parameter entity references
Declaring a DTD(contd.)
• You create a DTD by first entering a document type declaration into your XML
document.

• While there can only be one DTD, it can be divided into two part: internal subset and
external subset.

•
Declaring a DTD (internal subset)
An internal subset is declarations placed in the same file as the document content.
<?xml version=“1.0”?>
<!DOCTYPE faculty[
<!ELEMENT faculty (title,code,lecturer,tutor)>
<!ELEMENT title (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT code (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT lecturer (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT tutor (#PCDATA)>
]>

<faculty>
<title>Emerging Programming and Technologies</title>
<code>CS5004NI</code>
<lecture>Pradhumna Dhungana</lecturer>
<tutor>Pradhumna Dhungana & Pratik Panta</tutor>
</faculty>
Declaring a DTD (external subset)
An external subset is located in a separate file.
<?xml version=“1.0”?>
<!DOCTYPE faculty SYSTEM “faculty.dtd”>
<faculty>
<title>Emerging Programming and Technologies</title>
<code>CS5004NI</code>
<lecture>Pradhumna Dhungana</lecturer>
<tutor>Pradhumna Dhungana & Pratik Panta</tutor>
</faculty>

The file faculty.dtd:


<!ELEMENT faculty (title,code,lecturer,tutor)>
<!ELEMENT title (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT code (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT lecturer (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT tutor (#PCDATA)>
Declaring a DTD (internal subset)
• <!DOCTYPE faculty[
• <!ELEMENT faculty (title,code,lecturer,tutor)>
• <!ELEMENT title (#PCDATA)> Declaration

• <!ELEMENT code (#PCDATA)>


• <!ELEMENT lecturer (#PCDATA)>
• <!ELEMENT tutor (#PCDATA)>
• ]>

• Faculty is a root.
• It is the name of the document’s root element.
• Declarations are the statements that comprise the DTD.
Declaring Document Elements
• Defines five different types of element content:
Any
Empty
#PCDATA
Elements
Mixed

• Any : Can store any type of content.

• Empty: Elements store no content.

• Parsed Character Data : Can only contain parsed character data.

• Element: Can contain only child elements.


Declaring Document Elements
• Mixed: Can contain both text string and child elements.

Examples: <!ELEMENT elementname ANY>

<!ELEMENT elementname empty> (<!ELEMENT br EMPTY>)

<!ELEMENT elementname (#PCDATA)

<!ELEMENT elementname (child1, child2)>

<!ELEMENT elementname (#PCDATA|childelement )


Modifying Symbols
• Indicates the number of occurrences of each element.

✔ question mark (?), allow zero or one

✔ plus sign (+), allow one or more


✔ an asterisk (*), allow zero or more.
• For Example, <!ELEMENT faculty (title,code,lecture,tutor+)>

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