Dataset - Unable to read XML 1.1?

Question

Is this correct? I have changed to version of XML from 1.0 to 1.1 that my DS reads and I now get an error saying it cannot read this version. Is there anyway around this?

The reason I'm doing this is for v1.1's ability to account for such things as unit separators.

This is the exception I receive:

An unhandled exception of type 'System.Xml.XmlException' 
occurred in System.Xml.dll

Additional information: Version number '1.1' is invalid. Line 1, position 16.

I would also try reading it with a simple `XmlReader`. If an `XmlReader` can't read it, then nothing can. — John Saunders, Feb 16 '11 at 15:25
@RQDQ - have included the exception. @John, will give that a try. Thanks. — Darren Young, Feb 16 '11 at 15:28
@John, XMlTextReader reads the file okay, it's when I try to put it into a dataset. — Darren Young, Feb 16 '11 at 15:30

score 4 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 16 '11 at 16:18

An XML 1.0 parser might, or might not accept to parse documents that have other version number than 1.0. The behaviour of your XML parser depends on what edition of XML 1.0 recommendation it conforms to.

First editions

W3C XML recommendations editions 1 & 2 said:

The version number "1.0" should be used to indicate conformance to this version of this specification; it is an error for a document to use the value "1.0" if it does not conform to this version of this specification.

...

Processors may signal an error if they receive documents labeled with versions they do not support.

and the valid values for version in XML declaration were

[26]    VersionNum  ::=     ([a-zA-Z0-9_.:] | '-')+

ref: http://www.w3.org/TR/1998/REC-xml-19980210#sec-prolog-dtd

Third edition

This was changed for the 3rd edition. The paragraph that I quoted above, was removed and value of version was fixed to 1.0

[26]    VersionNum     ::=      '1.0'

This practically meant, that XML 1.0 parser should see other version numbers as errors.
ref: http://www.w3.org/XML/xml-V10-2e-errata#E38

Fifth edition

Parsing of other versions was again allowed in 5th edition, when a new change practically reversed the previous change. Two new paragraphs were added

Even though the VersionNum production matches any version number of the form '1.x', XML 1.0 documents SHOULD NOT specify a version number other than '1.0'.

Note: When an XML 1.0 processor encounters a document that specifies a 1.x version number other than '1.0', it will process it as a 1.0 document. This means that an XML 1.0 processor will accept 1.x documents provided they do not use any non-1.0 features.

The valid values for version now have form 1.x

[26]    VersionNum     ::=      '1.' [0-9]+

ref: http://www.w3.org/XML/xml-V10-4e-errata#E10

Summary

It is risky to use other version number than 1.0 (also for XML 1.0 documents), since a parser might refuse to process it. If you make such change, you need to know that the document will only be handled with XML 1.1 compatible tools (or XML 1.0 5th Ed. compatible tools, but then you can't use any XML 1.1 features).

Dataset - Unable to read XML 1.1?

1 Answers1

First editions

Third edition

Fifth edition

Summary