Tools · Usage · Resources · Specifications and Development
XML Schemas express shared vocabularies and allow machines to carry out rules made by people. They provide a means for defining the structure, content and semantics of XML documents. The XML Activity Statement explains the W3C's work on this topic in more detail.
XML Schema has recently (2001-05-02) been approved as a W3C Recommendation, see reference list for pointers.
See also: Robin Cover's index of XML Schema materials.
Grégory Chazalon has provided un sommaire en français.
If you want yours listed here, please send an announcement to xmlschema-dev.
XSV, an Open Source XML Schema Validator, with web-form access from University of Edinburgh/W3C (beta) (Status page)
Free download of self-installing version of XSV for WIN32.
DTD to XML Schema translator
Translate a Document Type Definition (DTD) into a XML Schema (REC-xmlschema-1-20010502). The translator can map meaningful DTD entities onto XML Schema constructs (simpleType, attributeGroup, group), i.e. the XML document model is not anonymized. In addition, the translator can map DTD comments onto XML Schema documentation nodes in various ways.
Free available as Java class and as standalone Java application: dtd2xs
Microsoft XML Parser (MSXML) 4.0 B2 supports XML Schema validation and type discovery with both DOM and SAX. It is available free from the MSDN XML site, exact location.
Although primarily a Schematron tool, it also "handles DTDs, W3C XML Schemas, and Schematron schemas embedded in W3C XML Schemas", available from Topologi.
This tool, written in Java, reads Schemas conforming (or alleging to conform via their namespace declaration) with the latest specs, and attempts to determine if they are 100% valid under all the various constraints that apply to schemas. If it determines they are not valid, it attempts to explain the problem in language that a schema novice could probably understand.
This is to announce the much awaited release Xerces C++ 1.5.2 which brings more Schema Subset Support to Xerces-C++!
Xerces-J is a validating XML parser which has support for the XML Schema Recommendation.
The (commercial) XML Spy 4.1 Suite is "a complete out-of-the-box solution for all phases of Advanced XML Application Development" including Schema support.
Free trial download
XML Datatypes Library is a Java implementation of W3C XML Schema Part 2. It can be used from any Java code to
Commercial XML Schema (and others) aware streaming validator from TIBCO Extensibility.
xsbrowser allows to navigate a DTD- or XML-Schema (rec-xmlschema-1-20010502) using a web browser.
xsbrowser hides the document model's representation syntax and shows only the knowledge that is significant for the construction of valid documents.
Free available as Java source
XSU, an Open Source upgrade transform from the 20001024 to the 20010330 version; free web-form access, from University of Edinburgh/W3C (beta);
Tools below here are for the previous, 20001024, version of XML Schema
Tools below here are for the previous, 20000407, version of XML Schema
(revision by Connolly)
In addition XML Schema Part 0: Primer, you may be interested in:
Richard Tobin and Henry S. Thompson have posted a first cut at an XML serialisation of the (PSV) Infoset.
The W3C has launched a Test Collection Initiative to help XML Schema processor implementors.
As part of the process of getting XML Schema to Recommendation, a draft Type Library is available, with definitions of complex types attempting to cover many common needs, including general text content, arrays, complex numbers and dimensioned quantities.
Developments in the community
Input into the development of XML Schema:
Dan Connolly and Henry Thompson