Data Format Description Language (DFDL) v1.0 Specification
OGF Proposed Recommendation GFD-P-R.174, January 31, 2011
DFDL annotations must be positioned specifically where DFDL annotations are allowed within an XML schema document. These positions are known as annotation points. When an annotation is positioned at an annotation point, it binds some additional information to the schema component that encloses it. The description of a data format is achieved by correctly placing annotations on the structural components of the schema.
DFDL specifies a collection of annotations for different purposes.
Annotation Element(s) |
Description |
---|---|
assert |
Defines a test to be used to ensure the data are well formed. Assert is used only when parsing data. See section 7.3 |
choice |
Defines the physical data format properties of an xs:choice group. See section 7.1.1 |
discriminator |
Defines a test to be used when resolving a point of uncertainty such as choice branches or optional elements. A dfdl:discriminator is used only when parsing data to resolve the point of uncertainty to one of the alternatives. See section 7.4 |
defineEscapeScheme |
Defines a named, reusable escapeScheme See section 7.5 |
defineFormat |
Defines a reusable data format by collecting together other annotations and associating them with a name that can be referenced from elsewhere. See section 7.2 |
defineVariable |
Defines a variable that can be referenced elsewhere. This can be used to communicate a parameter from one part of processing to another part. See section 7.7 |
element |
Defines the physical data format properties of an xs:element and xs:element reference. See section 7.1.1 |
escapeScheme |
Defines the scheme by which quotation marks and escape characters can be specified. This is for use with delimited text formats. See section 7.6 |
format |
Defines the physical data format properties for multiple DFDL schema constructs. Used on an xs:schema and as a child of a dfdl:defineFormat annotation. This includes aspects such as the encodings, field separator, and many more. See section 7.1 |
group |
Defines the physical data format properties of an xs:group reference. See section 7.1.1 |
newVariableInstance |
Creates a new instance of a variable. See section 7.8 |
property |
Used in the syntax of format annotations. See section 7.1.3.2. |
setVariable |
Sets the value of a variable whose declaration is in scope See section 7.9 |
sequence |
Defines the physical data format properties of an xs:sequence group. See section 7.1.1 |
simpleType |
Defines the physical data format properties of an xs:simpleType. See section 7.1.1 |
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