Creating Schemas While Preserving Your Sanity

RELAX NG and a Markup Core

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

Olin Library, January 16, 2004

"XML" is just way too complicated

XML is markup

W3C XML Schema takes an Object-Oriented Approach to XML

Objects don't fit XML very well

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

Ongoing work: DSDL and beyond

Options for dealing with WXS

Sample documents and Examplotron

For graphs and metadata, consider RDF

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