Table of Contents
This quick reference guide follows the formal description of the compact syntax described as an EBNF grammar. Each definition of the EBNF grammar is documented. When a definition includes a long list of alternatives (as is the case for pattern, nameClass or literalSegment), each alternative is documented separately. The grammar from the specification has been slightly simplified to suppress definitions which were used only once; nevertheless, the meaning has been kept unchanged.
![[Note]](images/note.png) | Note |
|---|---|
The EBNF grammar is a summary which does not include annotation syntax. | |
Here is the full EBNF grammar which was used as a basis for this guide:
topLevel ::=
decl* (
pattern|
grammarContent*)
decl ::= "namespace"
identifierOrKeyword "="
namespaceURILiteral
|"default" "namespace" [
identifierOrKeyword] "="
namespaceURILiteral
|"datatypes"
identifierOrKeyword "="
literal
pattern ::= "element"
nameClass "{"
pattern "}"
|"attribute"
nameClass "{"
pattern "}"
|
pattern (","
pattern)+
|
pattern ("&"
pattern)+
|
pattern ("|"
pattern)+
|
pattern "?"
|
pattern "*"
|
pattern "+"
|"list" "{"
pattern "}"
|"mixed" "{"
pattern "}"
|
identifier
|"parent"
identifier
|"empty"
|"text"
|[
datatypeName]
literal
|
datatypeName ["{"
param* "}"] [
exceptPattern]
|"notAllowed"
|"external"
literal [
inherit]
|"grammar" "{"
grammarContent* "}"
|"("
pattern ")"
param ::=
identifierOrKeyword "="
literal
exceptPattern ::= "-"
pattern
grammarContent ::=
start
|
define
|"div" "{"
grammarContent* "}"
|"include"
literal [
inherit] ["{"
includeContent* "}"]
includeContent ::=
define
|
start
|"div" "{"
includeContent* "}"
start ::= "start"
assignMethod
pattern
define ::=
identifier
assignMethod
pattern
assignMethod ::= "="
|"|="
|"&="
nameClass ::=
name
|
NCName ":*" [
exceptNameClass]
|"*" [
exceptNameClass]
|
nameClass "|"
nameClass
|"("
nameClass ")"
name ::=
identifierOrKeyword
|
CName
exceptNameClass ::= "-"
nameClass
datatypeName ::=
CName
|"string"
|"token"
namespaceURILiteral ::=
literal
|"inherit"
inherit ::= "inherit" "="
identifierOrKeyword
identifierOrKeyword ::=
identifier
|
keyword
identifier ::= (
NCName -
keyword)
|
quotedIdentifier
quotedIdentifier ::= "\"
NCName
CName ::=
NCName ":"
NCName
literal ::=
literalSegment ("~"
literalSegment)+
literalSegment ::= """ (
Char - ("""
newline))* """
|"'" (
Char - ("'"
newline))* "'"
|""""" (["""] ["""] (
Char - """))* """""
|"'''" (["'"] ["'"] (
Char - "'"))* "'''"
keyword ::= "attribute"
|"default"
|"datatypes"
|"div"
|"element"
|"empty"
|"external"
|"grammar"
|"include"
|"inherit"
|"list"
|"mixed"
|"namespace"
|"notAllowed"
|"parent"
|"start"
|"string"
|"text"
|"token" |
Note that EBNF dooesn't capture the restrictions applied after simplification. The simplification process and restrictions are detailed in "Chapter 15: Simplification And Restrictions". The main restrictions are also mentioned for each element in this chapter in the section titled "Restrictions".