Hermann Peifer <peifer@g...> writes:

> Mark wrote:
>> I've working on processing xml from an external source (who I can
>> contact to change things if they turn out to be incorrect) and in
>> their xml documents empty elements span multiple lines e.g.
>> <element>
>> </element>
>> rather than <element /> or <element></element>. When I'm parsing the
>> xml the text of the element is '\n' which is what I would expect,
>> but not what they intend - it should be null or an empty string or
>> whatever. Is what they're doing wrong in expressing an empty
>> element, or is it simply ugly (but not wrong)?
>> TIA
>
> As you noticed: the "empty" elements are obviously not empty. If the data provider's intention was to provide a true empty element, then the only options are <element /> or <element></element>, anything else would be wrong.

[Pedantry alert].  Well, 'only' may be a bit strong.
There are also forms like <element
></element> and <element




/> -- unlikely to matter to the OP or the data source, 
but not to be overlooked by a parser.

--CMSMcQ