create xsd schema with <any> node that contains attributes

Question

Hello all,

I want to create an xsd schema with an xs:any element that contains an attribute.

something like this

<xs:element name="Task">
   <xs:element name="any" type="xs:anyType">
      <xs:attribute name="type" type="xs:string" />
   </xs:element>
</xs:element>

But apparently this is not a valid schema.

What I want to accomplish is an xml schema that looks like this:

<Task>
   <randomField type="bla">test</randomField>
   <anotherField type="blabla">testing</anotherField>
   .....
</Task>

So you can enter a field that must have the attribute 'type'.

The purpose of all this is to dynamically create tasks in sharepoint. So you can enter an xml like this:

<Task>
   <AssignedTo type="string">jsmith</AssignedTo>
   <Title type="string">Task1</Title>
</Task>

But I want the xml to be dynamic, so you can enter more information like duedate, priority... And the purpose of the attribute is to decide if the datatype is string or date or int, so I could format everything correctly...

thx in advance

Answer 1

You might want to look at the XML schema tutorial

<xs:element name="Task">
   <xs:complexType>
      <xs:any minOccurs="0"/>            
    </xs:complexType>
</xs:element>

Answer 2

Boring as it may be, I'd suggest you go with a different approach:

<Task>
   <Attribute name="AssignedTo" type="string">jsmith</attribute>
   <Attribute name="Title" type="string">Task1</attribute>
</Task>

It will make your life a lot easier. Not just designing the schema but also later on in dealing with the files etc.