XML Schema Validation Question

[Drew Berkemeyer]

Hello,

How can I use XSD to ignore certain nodes of an XML document. Specifically,
we have an event that I want to define using XSD. I then want to validate
incoming XML events with that XSD. However, I want the payload section of
the event to be freeform and thus, *NOT* validated.

Is there a way to define a node (and all of it's contents) in an XSD so that
the validator requires that the node exists, but does not attempt to
validate the contents of the node?

Example of the event:
<MyEvent>
<Header attribute1="true" attribute2="23"/>
<Payload>
</Payload>
</MyEvent>

I would like to define an XSD that places strict validation on everything
you see in the above example. However, I do not want *ANY* validation on the
body of the <Payload> node.

Is this possible? We need this so that we can validate the format of the
incoming event, but at the same time allow for free form, dynamic content in
the payload.

Any assistance is appreciated.
--

Sincerely,
Drew Berkemeyer
Software Architect
http://www.berkemeyer.com/

[Martin Honnen]

Drew Berkemeyer wrote:

<MyEvent>
<Header attribute1="true" attribute2="23"/>
<Payload>
</Payload>
</MyEvent>

I would like to define an XSD that places strict validation on everything
you see in the above example. However, I do not want *ANY* validation on the
body of the <Payload> node.

You can use a definition alike
<xs:element name="Payload">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:any processContents="skip" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
</xs:sequence>
</xs:element>
see the xs:any definition in the W3X XML schema definition on
http://www.w3.org/ for further options (to restrict contents to certain
namespaces for instance).
--

Martin Honnen
http://JavaScript.FAQTs.com/

[Drew Berkemeyer]

Thank you for the advice. However, when I add the node:
<xs:element name="Content">

<xs:sequence>

<xs:any processContents="skip" maxOccurs="unbounded" />

</xs:sequence>

</xs:element>

The <xs:sequence> node displays an error of: The active schema does not
support the element 'xs:sequence'. Then when I actually try to run the
validation I get the following exception:
"The 'http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema:sequence' element is not supported in
this context. An error occurred at , (58, 22)."

Any idea what's going on?
--

Sincerely,
Drew Berkemeyer
Software Architect
http://www.berkemeyer.com/

"Martin Honnen" <ma*******@yahoo.de> wrote in message
news:u9****************@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

Drew Berkemeyer wrote:

<MyEvent>
<Header attribute1="true" attribute2="23"/>
<Payload>
</Payload>
</MyEvent>

I would like to define an XSD that places strict validation on everything
you see in the above example. However, I do not want *ANY* validation on
the body of the <Payload> node.

You can use a definition alike
<xs:element name="Payload">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:any processContents="skip" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
</xs:sequence>
</xs:element>
see the xs:any definition in the W3X XML schema definition on
http://www.w3.org/ for further options (to restrict contents to certain
namespaces for instance).
--

Martin Honnen
http://JavaScript.FAQTs.com/

[Drew Berkemeyer]

Thank you for the advice. However, when I add the node:
<xs:element name="Content">

<xs:sequence>

<xs:any processContents="skip" maxOccurs="unbounded" />

</xs:sequence>

</xs:element>

The <xs:sequence> node displays an error of: The active schema does not
support the element 'xs:sequence'. Then when I actually try to run the
validation I get the following exception:
"The 'http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema:sequence' element is not supported in
this context. An error occurred at , (58, 22)."

Any idea what's going on?
--

Sincerely,
Drew Berkemeyer
Software Architect
http://www.berkemeyer.com/

"Martin Honnen" <ma*******@yahoo.de> wrote in message
news:u9****************@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

Drew Berkemeyer wrote:

<MyEvent>
<Header attribute1="true" attribute2="23"/>
<Payload>
</Payload>
</MyEvent>

I would like to define an XSD that places strict validation on everything
you see in the above example. However, I do not want *ANY* validation on
the body of the <Payload> node.

You can use a definition alike
<xs:element name="Payload">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:any processContents="skip" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
</xs:sequence>
</xs:element>
see the xs:any definition in the W3X XML schema definition on
http://www.w3.org/ for further options (to restrict contents to certain
namespaces for instance).
--

Martin Honnen
http://JavaScript.FAQTs.com/

[anonymous]

Drew Berkemeyer wrote:

Hello,

How can I use XSD to ignore certain nodes of an XML document. Specifically,
we have an event that I want to define using XSD. I then want to validate
incoming XML events with that XSD. However, I want the payload section of
the event to be freeform and thus, *NOT* validated.

Is there a way to define a node (and all of it's contents) in an XSD so that
the validator requires that the node exists, but does not attempt to
validate the contents of the node?

Example of the event:
<MyEvent>
<Header attribute1="true" attribute2="23"/>
<Payload>
</Payload>
</MyEvent>

I would like to define an XSD that places strict validation on everything
you see in the above example. However, I do not want *ANY* validation on the
body of the <Payload> node.

Is this possible? We need this so that we can validate the format of the
incoming event, but at the same time allow for free form, dynamic content in
the payload.

Any assistance is appreciated.

Could the payload be CDATA or base64?

[Drew Berkemeyer]

Well, we could encrypt the payload, but that would be non-optimal and would
require some changes to our existing system. I was considering the same
thing however if it is our only option.

Thank you for the suggestion.
--

Sincerely,
Drew Berkemeyer
Software Architect
http://www.berkemeyer.com/
"anonymous" <fo******@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:cs***********@news.cybercity.dk...

Drew Berkemeyer wrote:

Hello,

How can I use XSD to ignore certain nodes of an XML document.
Specifically, we have an event that I want to define using XSD. I then
want to validate incoming XML events with that XSD. However, I want the
payload section of the event to be freeform and thus, *NOT* validated.

Is there a way to define a node (and all of it's contents) in an XSD so
that the validator requires that the node exists, but does not attempt to
validate the contents of the node?

Example of the event:
<MyEvent>
<Header attribute1="true" attribute2="23"/>
<Payload>
</Payload>
</MyEvent>

I would like to define an XSD that places strict validation on everything
you see in the above example. However, I do not want *ANY* validation on
the body of the <Payload> node.

Is this possible? We need this so that we can validate the format of the
incoming event, but at the same time allow for free form, dynamic content
in the payload.

Any assistance is appreciated.

Could the payload be CDATA or base64?

[Zafar Abbas [MSFT]]

You need to write it like:

<xs:element name="Content">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:any processContents="skip" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>

"Drew Berkemeyer" <sp**@menow.com> wrote in message
news:ue****************@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

Thank you for the advice. However, when I add the node:
<xs:element name="Content">

<xs:sequence>

<xs:any processContents="skip" maxOccurs="unbounded" />

</xs:sequence>

</xs:element>

The <xs:sequence> node displays an error of: The active schema does not
support the element 'xs:sequence'. Then when I actually try to run the
validation I get the following exception:
"The 'http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema:sequence' element is not supported in this context. An error occurred at , (58, 22)."

Any idea what's going on?
--

Sincerely,
Drew Berkemeyer
Software Architect
http://www.berkemeyer.com/

"Martin Honnen" <ma*******@yahoo.de> wrote in message
news:u9****************@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

Drew Berkemeyer wrote:

<MyEvent>
<Header attribute1="true" attribute2="23"/>
<Payload>
</Payload>
</MyEvent>

I would like to define an XSD that places strict validation on everything you see in the above example. However, I do not want *ANY* validation on the body of the <Payload> node.

You can use a definition alike
<xs:element name="Payload">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:any processContents="skip" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
</xs:sequence>
</xs:element>
see the xs:any definition in the W3X XML schema definition on
http://www.w3.org/ for further options (to restrict contents to certain
namespaces for instance).
--

Martin Honnen
http://JavaScript.FAQTs.com/

[Priscilla Walmsley]

Also, if you want to allow character data content (text) as well as child
elements in the Payload element, you would want to make its complex type
mixed by adding a mixed="true" attribute. And if you want to be valid even
if it has no children, you want to add a minOccurs="0" attribute to your
xs:any element, like this:

<xs:element name="Content">
<xs:complexType mixed="true">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:any processContents="skip" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>

Hope that helps,
Priscilla

------------------------------------------------------------------
Priscilla Walmsley
Author, Definitive XML Schema / XML in Office 2003
http://www.datypic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------

"Zafar Abbas [MSFT]" <za****@microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:uO****************@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...

You need to write it like:

<xs:element name="Content">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:any processContents="skip" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>

"Drew Berkemeyer" <sp**@menow.com> wrote in message
news:ue****************@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

Thank you for the advice. However, when I add the node:
<xs:element name="Content">

<xs:sequence>

<xs:any processContents="skip" maxOccurs="unbounded" />

</xs:sequence>

</xs:element>

The <xs:sequence> node displays an error of: The active schema does not
support the element 'xs:sequence'. Then when I actually try to run the
validation I get the following exception:
"The 'http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema:sequence' element is not supported

in

this context. An error occurred at , (58, 22)."

Any idea what's going on?
--

Sincerely,
Drew Berkemeyer
Software Architect
http://www.berkemeyer.com/

"Martin Honnen" <ma*******@yahoo.de> wrote in message
news:u9****************@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

>
>
> Drew Berkemeyer wrote:
>
>
>> <MyEvent>
>> <Header attribute1="true" attribute2="23"/>
>> <Payload>
>> </Payload>
>> </MyEvent>
>>
>> I would like to define an XSD that places strict validation on everything >> you see in the above example. However, I do not want *ANY* validation on >> the body of the <Payload> node.
>
> You can use a definition alike
> <xs:element name="Payload">
> <xs:sequence>
> <xs:any processContents="skip" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
> </xs:sequence>
> </xs:element>
> see the xs:any definition in the W3X XML schema definition on
> http://www.w3.org/ for further options (to restrict contents to certain
> namespaces for instance).
>
>
> --
>
> Martin Honnen
> http://JavaScript.FAQTs.com/

[Drew Berkemeyer]

Perfect!

You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for your help. The solution works
like a champ! *EXACTLY* what I was hoping to do.

--

Sincerely,
Drew Berkemeyer
Software Architect
http://www.berkemeyer.com/
"Priscilla Walmsley" <no****@datypic.com> wrote in message
news:e0****************@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...

Also, if you want to allow character data content (text) as well as child
elements in the Payload element, you would want to make its complex type
mixed by adding a mixed="true" attribute. And if you want to be valid
even if it has no children, you want to add a minOccurs="0" attribute to
your xs:any element, like this:

<xs:element name="Content">
<xs:complexType mixed="true">
<xs:sequence>
<xs:any processContents="skip" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>

Hope that helps,
Priscilla

------------------------------------------------------------------
Priscilla Walmsley
Author, Definitive XML Schema / XML in Office 2003
http://www.datypic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------

"Zafar Abbas [MSFT]" <za****@microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:uO****************@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...

You need to write it like:

<xs:element name="Content">
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:any processContents="skip" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>

"Drew Berkemeyer" <sp**@menow.com> wrote in message
news:ue****************@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

Thank you for the advice. However, when I add the node:
<xs:element name="Content">

<xs:sequence>

<xs:any processContents="skip" maxOccurs="unbounded" />

</xs:sequence>

</xs:element>

The <xs:sequence> node displays an error of: The active schema does not
support the element 'xs:sequence'. Then when I actually try to run the
validation I get the following exception:
"The 'http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema:sequence' element is not
supported

in

this context. An error occurred at , (58, 22)."

Any idea what's going on?
--

Sincerely,
Drew Berkemeyer
Software Architect
http://www.berkemeyer.com/

"Martin Honnen" <ma*******@yahoo.de> wrote in message
news:u9****************@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
>
>
> Drew Berkemeyer wrote:
>
>
>> <MyEvent>
>> <Header attribute1="true" attribute2="23"/>
>> <Payload>
>> </Payload>
>> </MyEvent>
>>
>> I would like to define an XSD that places strict validation on

everything

>> you see in the above example. However, I do not want *ANY* validation

on

>> the body of the <Payload> node.
>
> You can use a definition alike
> <xs:element name="Payload">
> <xs:sequence>
> <xs:any processContents="skip" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
> </xs:sequence>
> </xs:element>
> see the xs:any definition in the W3X XML schema definition on
> http://www.w3.org/ for further options (to restrict contents to
> certain
> namespaces for instance).
>
>
> --
>
> Martin Honnen
> http://JavaScript.FAQTs.com/