Creating Schemas While Preserving Your Sanity

Looking Beyond W3C XML Schema

Simon St.Laurent, Editor, O'Reilly & Associates

XML Developers Network of the Capital District

W3C XML Schema has overtaken DTDs in mindshare

W3C XML Schema takes an Object-Oriented Approach to XML

Objects don't fit XML very well

and W3C XML Schema's approach has issues

Substitution groups mingle with object hierarchies

While keys cut across hierarchy

Meanwhile, the datatype side is ugly but ubiquitous

What a mess

Despite these problems, W3C XML Schema is everywhere

Except (surprise!) in other W3C XML specs

RELAX NG has different foundations

A convenient compact syntax

Tools for creating W3C XML Schema files

Describing XML document structures

Creating patterns

Using datatypes

Combining patterns

Building modules

Using RELAX NG to Generate WXS

Another approach: Schematron

Collections of tests

Schematron reaches where other languages can't

Ongoing work: DSDL and beyond

Options for dealing with WXS

More information

Start  >