New to xml schema - does the dtd/schema validation happens always ?

[pramodr]

Hi group,

I am a novice in XML technologies even though I have been exposed to
it for quite some time. My question is as follows

If a dtd or schema is supplied with the xml, is the xml validated
always against the dtd/schema ?

We specify the dtd (or schema) with a URL like the one below which is
a part of a web deployment descriptor - web.xml. If the validation is
mandatory why does'nt it throw me an error when I am working
standalone (disconnected from the web) ?


<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE web-app PUBLIC "-//Sun Microsystems, Inc.//DTD Web
Application 2.3//EN" "http://java.sun.com/dtd/web-app_2_3.dtd">
<web-app id="WebApp_ID">

</web-app>


Thanks and regards
Pramod R

 

[Martin Honnen]

I am a novice in XML technologies even though I have been exposed to
it for quite some time. My question is as follows

If a dtd or schema is supplied with the xml, is the xml validated
always against the dtd/schema ?

No, you need a validating parser (and in the case of schemas you even
need one that supports schemas) and you usually need to enable
validation. It all depends on the API of the parser you use respectively
on the configuration of the XML editor you might use.

 

[Philippe Poulard]

pramodr a écrit :

Hi group,

I am a novice in XML technologies even though I have been exposed to
it for quite some time. My question is as follows

If a dtd or schema is supplied with the xml, is the xml validated
always against the dtd/schema ?

The validation will be performed if you ask for it. It may depend on the
parser used and on the application.

We specify the dtd (or schema) with a URL like the one below which is
a part of a web deployment descriptor - web.xml. If the validation is
mandatory why does'nt it throw me an error when I am working
standalone (disconnected from the web) ?

Some applications rely on a component called a catalog that maps URIs to
resources stored in your local file system; this allow to avoid network
connexion and work in a disconnected mode as you mentionned.

In the case of servlet engines, their catalog just have to resolve very
few and well-known URIs, and they are likely hard-coded and resolved to
internal resources (in the jar).

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE web-app PUBLIC "-//Sun Microsystems, Inc.//DTD Web
Application 2.3//EN" "http://java.sun.com/dtd/web-app_2_3.dtd">
<web-app id="WebApp_ID">

</web-app>


Thanks and regards
Pramod R

--
Cordialement,

///
(. .)
--------ooO--(_)--Ooo--------
| Philippe Poulard |
-----------------------------
http://reflex.gforge.inria.fr/
Have the RefleX !

 

[Peter Flynn]

Hi group,

I am a novice in XML technologies even though I have been exposed to
it for quite some time. My question is as follows

If a dtd or schema is supplied with the xml, is the xml validated
always against the dtd/schema ?

It depends on what you open the document with (editor, processor, inline
parser, custom app, etc). If the software is capable of validation, and
if it's set to perform validation on opening the document, then it will
do so. If it's not, it won't. Some editors, for example, only parse
documents for well-formedness when you open them, and leave full
validation to the user clicking on a button or saving the document after
changes.

We specify the dtd (or schema) with a URL like the one below which is
a part of a web deployment descriptor - web.xml. If the validation is
mandatory why does'nt it throw me an error when I am working
standalone (disconnected from the web) ?

Because the DOCTYPE Declaration refers to a URI as the SI for the DTD
and it can't get it when you're disconnected from the net; and you don't
have a local copy stored in a Catalog where it can be resolved against
the FPI. You either need to be online, or you need to enable catalog
resolution in your software.

A URI as the SI is mandatory in XML if you work with a DTD; the FPI is
optional. This was a hotly-debated topic at design time, and in
retrospect it was a suboptimal decision: a mandatory FPI with a
synchronised catalog and cache would have been much better. It was
claimed at the time that this would have meant more work for software
authors, which would have slowed implementation (in fact it can be
implemented in a screenful of code or less); and that everyone would
soon have permanent connections and limitless bandwidth (yeah, right).

///Peter