You don't need to be a rocket scientist. (Sorry...couldn't resist that one).
To answer your question, there is no definitive list of xml elements. You are free to create your own or use a set that are defined by someone else. XML element schema are generally packaged in one of three manners (though nothing in the XML specification precludes you from using your own method or even using no method at all): 1. Document Type Definitions (DTD) - The syntax for DTDs is legacy from SGML, XML's "parent" markup language. The XML specification [1] itself defines the format for writing a DTD. If you want to see examples of the cocoon DTDs, look in the WEB-INF/entities directory of your cocoon installation. Note though that modifying these directly could break the compatibility of your installation and is not advisable. 2. XML Schema - This is the W3C's "new and improved" version of DTDs [2]. A key difference is that an XML Schema is itself an XML format while DTDs have their own, different syntax. XML Schema provide a lot more functionality than DTDs. You can do things like define complex types, specify element level validation parameters and even inherit types in an Object Oriented sort of way. I should say that some consider XML Schema to be excessively complex and bloated with functionality. 3. James Clark, the markup guru has thrown his considerable weight behind a specification he co-developed with Murata Makato [3]. It seeks (and succeeds nicely IMHO) in striking a balance between the relative simplicity of DTDs and the full featured nature of XML Schema. Like XML Schema, a RELAX NG schema is in XML format, though there is also a simplified, more readable format that can be used. It's well worth a look if DTDs don't meet your needs. As I said, none of this is strictly required by the XML specifications. You could (and many do) simply define your own set of elements and use them as you see fit, but if you are interested in having other people use your format or interoperating with it, it is in your best interests to provide a schema in one (or all) of these formats. Others can correct me if I'm wrong since I'm still fairly new to it, but Cocoon does not require that you use any particular schema either for representing your data. You are free to use your own format. The difficulty is that if you want to go out on your own like this, you need to provide your own handling of your format (i.e. write your own stylesheets, in most cases). [1] http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml [2] http://www.w3.org/XML/Schema [3] http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/relax-ng/spec-20011203.html hope this helps, Stan Dyck -----Original Message----- From: Bobby Mitchell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, July 25, 2002 12:34 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: XML Elements Where can I find a list of XML elements? Also, I want to create some custom XML elements. How can I do this? -- Robert J. (Bobby) Mitchell Systems Administrator NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts 555A 14th St Atlanta, Ga. 30318 Phone: (404)347-9633 Fax: (404)347-9638 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Please check that your question has not already been answered in the FAQ before posting. <http://xml.apache.org/cocoon/faq/index.html> To unsubscribe, e-mail: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For additional commands, e-mail: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------- Please check that your question has not already been answered in the FAQ before posting. <http://xml.apache.org/cocoon/faq/index.html> To unsubscribe, e-mail: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For additional commands, e-mail: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
