In valid XML elements are not allowed to be overlapped. The above element is self contained, because it does not enclose any data or further elements it can be closed with the shorthand notation of adding the slash to the end of the name. Closing tags have a forward slash before the name to identify them as closing tags. This element is opened by the “” tag and closed by the “” tag. All tags must be closedĪn XML element is made up of a start tag and an end tag with content in the middle. This element is the parent element of all elements in the document. It does not count as an element.Īfter the prolog, a valid document must have only one root element. The prolog is optional and must appear first in the document. An XML document must have 1 root elementĪn XML document will typically include the XML Prolog: An XML document must have 1 root elementĪll of the validators in my list verify these basic XML rules.Here is a quick review of the XML Syntax Rules: The XML Syntax is like the letters of the alphabet, and the XML document structure is the language. They need to agree on what elements will appear in the document and what they mean. In order to communicate data using XML the send and receiver of the document need to understand the structure of the document. The validators I cover here verifies the XML syntax.Īn XML document also has a structure. XML has a basic set of rules know as XML syntax that applies to all XML documents. XML stands for Extensible Markup Language. In this post I quickly run through the XML validation rules and what a well formed XML document needs to be valid, as well as 7 tools, both desktop and online, to verify validity and how they compare. The UX is highly intuitive and a desktop editor like VSCode gives you a secure location to run verifications on XML files that contain confidential data. Be aware that your XML config files might contain sensitive data, do not use online validation tools if this is the case.Ī Great free and secure solution is the VSCode extension: XML Language Support by Red Hat.

Online XML validators are great for checking small XML documents without having to install a desktop tool. This saves you the hassle of starting up a desktop editor and installing a plugin. If you suspect and error in your XML get a quick validation on your XML File by copying and pasting your XML document into an online tool like.

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