Class

pattern

May be included in

attribute, choice, define, element, except, group, interleave, list, mixed, oneOrMore, optional, start, zeroOrMore

Compact syntax equivalent

empty

Description

empty patterns define nodes that are empty—for example, elements that have no child elements, text, or attributes. Note that it is mandatory to use this pattern explicitly in such cases; the simpler-looking form <element name="foo"/> is forbidden. There is no such thing as an empty attribute. An attribute such as foo="" is considered to have a value that is the empty string rather than considered empty—i.e., having no value. Therefore, empty applies only to elements.

Example

<element name="pageBreak">
  <empty/>
</element>

Attributes