Home/ Questions/Q 219635
In Process

The Archive Base Latest Questions

Editorial Team
  • 0
Asked: 2026-05-11T18:51:49+00:00

What I want to do is create a sequence element in an XML schema

  • 0

What I want to do is create a sequence element in an XML schema such that the contents must be in order, but may not all be present. For example, the schema would be something like this:

<xs:element name="rods" maxOccurs="1" minOccurs="1">
 <xs:complexType>
  <xs:sequence>
   <xs:element name="green" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
   <xs:element name="white" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
   <xs:element name="blue" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
   <xs:element name="yellow" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
   <xs:element name="red" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
   <xs:element name="tan" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
   <xs:element name="gray" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
   <xs:element name="black" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
  </xs:sequence>
 </xs:complexType>
</xs:element>

and would allow XML like this:

<rods>
 <green>142</green>
 <white>34</white>
 <gray>65</gray>
</rods>

MSDN has this to say about it:

The following example shows an element (zooAnimals) that can have zero or more of the following elements, elephant, bear, giraffe, in the sequence element.

<xs:element name="zooAnimals">
      <xs:complexType>
            <xs:sequence minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded">
               <xs:element name="elephant"/>
               <xs:element name="bear"/>
               <xs:element name="giraffe"/>
            </xs:sequence>
      </xs:complexType>
</xs:element>

W3Schools suggests the same.
However, both visual studio and an online validation service don’t like what is suggested.

Here is what I have at the moment:

<xs:element name="rods" maxOccurs="1" minOccurs="1">
 <xs:complexType>
  <xs:sequence minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1">
   <xs:element name="green" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
   <xs:element name="white" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
   <xs:element name="blue" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
   <xs:element name="yellow" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
   <xs:element name="red" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
   <xs:element name="tan" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
   <xs:element name="gray" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
   <xs:element name="black" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
  </xs:sequence>
 </xs:complexType>
</xs:element>

And here’s the XML:

<rods>
 <green>142</green>
 <white>34</white>
 <gray>65</gray>
</rods>

Visual Studio 2005 claims that "gray" is invalid, "blue" expected, so clearly it wants all of the children

Share

Leave an answer

You must login to add an answer.

Need An Account,

1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team
    <xs:element name="rods">
    <xs:complexType>
        <xs:sequence>
                <xs:element minOccurs="0" name="green" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
                <xs:element minOccurs="0" name="white" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
                <xs:element minOccurs="0" name="blue" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
                <xs:element minOccurs="0" name="yellow" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
                <xs:element minOccurs="0" name="red" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
                <xs:element minOccurs="0" name="tan" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
                <xs:element minOccurs="0" name="gray" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
                <xs:element minOccurs="0" name="black" type="xs:positiveInteger" />
        </xs:sequence>
    </xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
    • 0