XML Schema complexContent Element

Definition and Usage

The complexContent element defines extensions or restrictions on a complex type that contains mixed content or elements only.

Element Information

Parent elements: complexType

Syntax

<complexContent
id=ID
mixed=true|false
any attributes
>

(annotation?,(restriction|extension))

</complexContent>

(The ? sign declares that the element can occur zero or one time inside the complexContent element)

Attribute	Description
id	Optional. Specifies a unique ID for the element
mixed	Optional. Specifies whether character data is allowed to appear between the child elements of this complexType element. Default is false
any attributes	Optional. Specifies any other attributes with non-schema namespace

Example 1

The following example has a complex type, "fullpersoninfo", that derives from another complex type, "personinfo", by extending the inherited type with three additional elements (address, city and country):

<xs:element name="employee" type="fullpersoninfo"/>

<xs:complexType name="personinfo">
  <xs:sequence>
    <xs:element name="firstname" type="xs:string"/>
    <xs:element name="lastname" type="xs:string"/>
  </xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>

<xs:complexType name="fullpersoninfo">
  <xs:complexContent>
    <xs:extension base="personinfo">
      <xs:sequence>
        <xs:element name="address" type="xs:string"/>
        <xs:element name="city" type="xs:string"/>
        <xs:element name="country" type="xs:string"/>
      </xs:sequence>
    </xs:extension>
  </xs:complexContent>
</xs:complexType>

In the example above the "employee" element must contain, in sequence, the following elements: "firstname", "lastname", "address", "city", and "country".

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