XSD File generation - Structure issue

Question

I am new to .xml/.xsd world and I must say I am having a hard here, even though the task I want to do sounds quite simple to me !

I am currently retrieving datas from an API into Excel and I'd like to make an xml file out of it using first rows has headers -> name of the element and the following rows for the datas themselves.

Using the tools provided by Excel to import a .xsd schema and then being able to export the datas into .xml file, I get stuck in preparing correctly the .xsd file.

Problem : I'd like to have several layers in my .xml file and it looks difficult to do (for a reason I don't understand). Something like :

<element1>
      <subelement1>
      <subelement2>
      <subelement3>
<element2>
<element3>

etc.

And here's my current .xsd file :

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<xs:schema xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
    <xs:element name="Offers">
        <xs:complexType>
            <xs:sequence>
                <xs:element ref="offer" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
            </xs:sequence>
        </xs:complexType>
        <xs:element name="offer">
            <xs:complexType>
                <xs:sequence>
                    <xs:element name="code" type="xs:string"/>
                    <xs:element name="bathroom_count" type="xs:string"/>
                    <xs:element name="bedroom_count" type="xs:string"/>
                    <xs:element name="average_rating" type="xs:string"/>
                    <xs:element name="title" type="xs:string"/>
                    <xs:element name="description" type="xs:string"/>
                    <xs:element name="content_language" type="xs:string"/>
                    <xs:element name="main_photo" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
                        <xs:complexType>
                            <xs:sequence>
                                <xs:element name="lalala" type="xs:string"/>
                                <xs:element name="slip" type="xs:string"/>
                            </xs:sequence>
                        </xs:complexType>
                </xs:sequence>
            </xs:complexType>
        </xs:element>
    </xs:element>
</xs:schema>

I've read a tons of help about it, and I generally find a solution before asking on forums but I'm pretty stuck here. It seems to me this structure is perfect but it still doesn't work. :( Everytime I try to import it in Excel it gives me an error and the error for this layout is

Description /schema/element[1][@name = 'Offers']/element[1][@name = 'offer'] Element 'xs:element' is not allowed in this context.

I don't get it as I've read that ComplexType is needed in between to use element as the child of another element.

Stanley De Boer Stanley De Boer · Accepted Answer · 2013-03-25T14:59:43

If you want to reference elements you must put them under xs:schema like:

<xs:schema xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
    <xs:element name="Offers">
    <xs:complexType>
        <xs:sequence>
            <xs:element ref="offer" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
        </xs:sequence>
    </xs:complexType>

</xs:element>

<xs:element name="offer">
    <xs:complexType>
        <xs:sequence>
            <xs:element name="code" type="xs:string"/>
            <xs:element name="bathroom_count" type="xs:string"/>
            <xs:element name="bedroom_count" type="xs:string"/>
            <xs:element name="average_rating" type="xs:string"/>
            <xs:element name="title" type="xs:string"/>
            <xs:element name="description" type="xs:string"/>
            <xs:element name="content_language" type="xs:string"/>
            <xs:element name="main_photo" maxOccurs="unbounded">
                <xs:complexType>
                    <xs:sequence>
                        <xs:element name="lalala" type="xs:string"/>
                        <xs:element name="slip" type="xs:string"/>
                    </xs:sequence>
                </xs:complexType>
            </xs:element>
        </xs:sequence>
    </xs:complexType>
</xs:element>

If you want to nest a complex type you need to nest it.

XSD File generation - Structure issue

1 Answers