[xml] XML Schema How to Restrict Attribute by Enumeration

I have the following XML Tag

<price currency="euros">20000.00</price>

How do I restrict the currency attribute to one the following:

  • euros
  • pounds
  • dollars

AND the price to a double?

I just get an error when I try to a type on both, here's what I've got so far:

<xs:element name="price">
    <xs:complexType>
        <xs:attribute name="currency">
            <xs:simpleType>
                <xs:restriction base="xs:string">
                    <xs:enumeration value="pounds" />
                    <xs:enumeration value="euros" />
                    <xs:enumeration value="dollars" />
                </xs:restriction>
            </xs:simpleType>
        </xs:attribute>
    </xs:complexType>
</xs:element>

This question is related to xml xsd

The answer is


New answer to old question

None of the existing answers to this old question address the real problem.

The real problem was that xs:complexType cannot directly have a xs:extension as a child in XSD. The fix is to use xs:simpleContent first. Details follow...


Your XML,

<price currency="euros">20000.00</price>

will be valid against either of the following corrected XSDs:

Locally defined attribute type

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xs:schema xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">

  <xs:element name="price">
    <xs:complexType>
      <xs:simpleContent>
        <xs:extension base="xs:decimal">
          <xs:attribute name="currency">
            <xs:simpleType>
              <xs:restriction base="xs:string">
                <xs:enumeration value="pounds" />
                <xs:enumeration value="euros" />
                <xs:enumeration value="dollars" />
              </xs:restriction>
            </xs:simpleType>
          </xs:attribute>
        </xs:extension>
      </xs:simpleContent>
    </xs:complexType>
  </xs:element>
</xs:schema>

Globally defined attribute type

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xs:schema xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">

  <xs:simpleType name="currencyType">
    <xs:restriction base="xs:string">
      <xs:enumeration value="pounds" />
      <xs:enumeration value="euros" />
      <xs:enumeration value="dollars" />
    </xs:restriction>
  </xs:simpleType>

  <xs:element name="price">
    <xs:complexType>
      <xs:simpleContent>
        <xs:extension base="xs:decimal">
          <xs:attribute name="currency" type="currencyType"/>
        </xs:extension>
      </xs:simpleContent>
    </xs:complexType>
  </xs:element>
</xs:schema>

Notes

  • As commented by @Paul, these do change the content type of price from xs:string to xs:decimal, but this is not strictly necessary and was not the real problem.
  • As answered by @user998692, you could separate out the definition of currency, and you could change to xs:decimal, but this too was not the real problem.

The real problem was that xs:complexType cannot directly have a xs:extension as a child in XSD; xs:simpleContent is needed first.

A related matter (that wasn't asked but may have confused other answers):

How could price be restricted given that it has an attribute?

In this case, a separate, global definition of priceType would be needed; it is not possible to do this with only local type definitions.

How to restrict element content when element has attribute

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xs:schema xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">

  <xs:simpleType name="priceType">  
    <xs:restriction base="xs:decimal">  
      <xs:minInclusive value="0.00"/>  
      <xs:maxInclusive value="99999.99"/>  
    </xs:restriction>  
  </xs:simpleType>

  <xs:element name="price">
    <xs:complexType>
      <xs:simpleContent>
        <xs:extension base="priceType">
          <xs:attribute name="currency">
            <xs:simpleType>
              <xs:restriction base="xs:string">
                <xs:enumeration value="pounds" />
                <xs:enumeration value="euros" />
                <xs:enumeration value="dollars" />
              </xs:restriction>
            </xs:simpleType>
          </xs:attribute>
        </xs:extension>
      </xs:simpleContent>
    </xs:complexType>
  </xs:element>
</xs:schema>

you need to create a type and make the attribute of that type:

<xs:simpleType name="curr">
  <xs:restriction base="xs:string">
    <xs:enumeration value="pounds" />
    <xs:enumeration value="euros" />
    <xs:enumeration value="dollars" />
  </xs:restriction>
</xs:simpleType>

then:

<xs:complexType>
    <xs:attribute name="currency" type="curr"/>
</xs:complexType>

<xs:element name="price" type="decimal">
<xs:attribute name="currency" type="xs:string" value="(euros|pounds|dollars)" /> 
</element> 

This would eliminate the need for enumeration completely. You could change type to double if required.