Core Components and Syntax of XML: Building blocks of well-formed XML documents

Intermediate

🧱 Core Components & 📐 Syntax Rules of XML

XML documents are constructed from several core components that define their structure and meaning:

🔹 Elements

The primary building blocks, enclosed in tags, representing discrete pieces of data.
Example:

<student>Name</student>

🏷️ Attributes

Additional information about elements, specified within start tags.
Example:

<student id="12345">John Doe</student>

📝 Text Content

The actual data held within elements.

💬 Comments

Notes for developers, ignored by parsers.
Syntax: <!-- comment -->

🛠️ Processing Instructions

Instructions for applications processing the XML.
Example: <?xml-stylesheet ?>

📏 Syntax Rules for Well-Formed XML

  • 📌 Every document must have exactly one root element
  • 🪜 Tags must be properly nested and closed
  • 🗣️ Attribute values must be quoted
  • 🔠 Element names are case-sensitive

These components form the foundation for creating valid XML documents that are both human-readable and machine-parsable.