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XSD Complex Elements

An XML complex element contains other elements and/or attributes.

What is a Complex Element?​

A complex element is an XML element that contains other elements and/or attributes.

Complex elements can be of four types:

  • empty elements
  • elements that contain only other elements
  • elements that contain only text
  • elements that contain both other elements and text
note

Each of these elements may contain attributes as well!

Examples of Complex Elements​

A complex XML element, called "book":

<book author="Tom Nolan"/>

A complex XML element, called "book", which contains only other elements:

<book>
    <title>A Great Book</title>
    <author>Tom Nolan</author>
    <publisher>Tutorial Reference</publisher>
</book>

A complex XML element, called "food", which contains only text:

<food type="dessert">Ice cream</food>

A complex XML element, "description", which contains both elements and text:

<description>  
I was born in <date lang="norwegian">01.02.99</date> ....  
</description>

How to Define a Complex Element​

Consider the "book" XML element, which contains only other elements:

<book>
    <title>A Great Book</title>
    <author>Tom Nolan</author>
    <publisher>Tutorial Reference</publisher>
</book>

We can define a complex element in an XML Schema two different ways:

1. Declare directly by naming the element​

<xs:element name="book">
    <xs:complexType>
        <xs:sequence>
            <xs:element name="title"  type="xs:string"/>
            <xs:element name="author"  type="xs:string"/>
            <xs:element name="publisher"  type="xs:string"/>
        </xs:sequence>
    </xs:complexType>
</xs:element>

In this way, only "book" element can use the specified complex type.

note

Note that the child elements, "title", "author" and "publisher", are surrounded by the <sequence> indicator. This means that the child elements must appear in the same order as they are declared.

You will discover more about indicators in XSD Indicators chapter.

2. Declare with type attribute that referes to the name of the complex type to use​

<xs:element name="book" type="bookinfo"/>

<xs:complexType name="bookinfo">
    <xs:sequence>
        <xs:element name="title"  type="xs:string"/>
        <xs:element name="author"  type="xs:string"/>
        <xs:element name="publisher"  type="xs:string"/>
    </xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>

In this way, you can have several element that can refer to the same complex type. For example:

<xs:element name="book" type="bookinfo"/>
<xs:element name="teacherbook" type="bookinfo"/>
<xs:element name="studentbook" type="bookinfo"/>

<xs:complexType name="bookinfo">
    <xs:sequence>
        <xs:element name="title"  type="xs:string"/>
        <xs:element name="author"  type="xs:string"/>
        <xs:element name="publisher"  type="xs:string"/>
    </xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>

Furthermore you can base a complex type on an existing complex type and add some elements:

<xs:element name="book" type="enanchedbookinfo"/>

<xs:complexType name="bookinfo">
    <xs:sequence>
        <xs:element name="title"  type="xs:string"/>
        <xs:element name="author"  type="xs:string"/>
        <xs:element name="publisher"  type="xs:string"/>
    </xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>

<xs:complexType name="enanchedbookinfo">  
    <xs:complexContent>
        <xs:extension base="personinfo">
            <xs:sequence>
            <xs:element name="publishdate"  type="xs:date"/>
            <xs:element name="country"  type="xs:string"/>
            <xs:element name="price"  type="xs:decimal"/>
            </xs:sequence>
        </xs:extension>
    </xs:complexContent>
</xs:complexType>

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