XML Tutorial/XML Schema/Anonymous Custom Types

Elements with Anonymous Complex Types

   <source lang="xml">

If you don"t need to reuse a complex type, it may be faster to create an anonymous complex type within the element declaration.

File: Schema..xsd <?xml version="1.0"?> <xsd:schema xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"

 targetNamespace="http://www.wbex.ru" xmlns="http://www.wbex.ru"
 elementFormDefault="qualified">
 <xsd:element name="characteristics">
   <xsd:complexType>
     <xsd:sequence>
       <xsd:element name="weight" type="xsd:string" />
       <xsd:element name="length" type="xsd:string" />
     </xsd:sequence>
     <xsd:attribute name="kind" type="xsd:string" />
   </xsd:complexType>
 </xsd:element>

</xsd:schema>

File: Data.xml <?xml version="1.0"?> <characteristics xmlns="http://www.wbex.ru" kind="physical">

 <weight>3 points</weight>
 <length>3 years</length>

</characteristics></source>

You don"t have to name every custom type

   <source lang="xml">

If you"re just going to use a type once, you can omit the cross reference between the element and the type. The only difference between an anonymous type and a named type is that a named type can be used more than once. whereas the anonymous type can only be used for the element in which it is contained. <?xml version="1.0"?> <xsd:schema xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"

 targetNamespace="http://www.wbex.ru" xmlns="http://www.wbex.ru"
 elementFormDefault="qualified">
 <xsd:element name="zipcode">
   <xsd:simpleType>
     <xsd:restriction base="xsd:string">
       <xsd:pattern value="\d{5}(-\d{4})?" />
     </xsd:restriction>
   </xsd:simpleType>
 </xsd:element>

</xsd:schema></source>