
The XML declaration is optional. The following document is valid even
though it doesn’t have a declaration:
<address-book>
<entry>
<name>John Doe</name>
<email href=”mailto:jdoe@emailaholic.com”/>
</entry>
<entry>
<name>JackSmith</name>
<email href=”mailto:jsmith@emailaholic.com”/>
</entry>
</address-book>
If the declaration is included however, it must start on the first character of
the first line of the document. The XML recommendation suggests you
include the declaration in every XML document.
Advanced Topics
As you can see, the core of the XML syntax is not difficult. Furthermore, if
you already know HTML, XML is familiar.
One of the design goals ...