The iXML Schema

The iXML Specification may potentially include a Schema which could be used by developers to validate data posing as iXML against an agreed standard specification, excluding any non standard fields. This could be used when developing software to write standard iXML without custom fields, in order to ensure compatibility with readers, and to detect spelling mistakes etc. Meanwhile, careful adherence to the specification should ensure iXML compliance. Since a primary goal of iXML is to allow easy extensibility, it is envisaged that a Schema could only be used to validate completely defined iXML from the state of the specification at the point the schema was defined. As such, the use of a schema may be useful for initial testing of a developers implementation of basic iXML but a schema may not be applicable for validating any foreign iXML which may legitimately include custom fields not defined in the schema.

At the present time, to ensure that no products are developed which enforce schema compatibility, it has been decided NOT to create a schema for iXML.