XML in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

XML Syntax

For each section of this reference that maps directly to an XML language structure, an informal syntax reference describes that structure’s form. The following conventions are used with these syntax blocks:

Format	Meaning
DOCTYPE	Bold text indicates literal characters that must appear as written within the document (e.g., DOCTYPE).
encoding-name	Italicized text indicates that the user must replace the text with real data. The item indicates what type of data should be inserted (e.g., encoding-name = en-us).
|	The vertical bar indicates that only one out of a list of possible values can be selected.
[ ]	Square brackets indicate that a particular portion of the syntax is optional.