Schema is non-deterministic?

[simonm]

When I validate an XML document with an XSD document using MSXML 4, I get the following error:

"Scema is non deterministic".

This only happens when I include the following line in the schema:

<xs:any minOccurs="0"/>

I need to include this line in order to make sure that documents created against this schema are extensible.

[CornedBee]

I think this happens if this line is presented as an alternative in the wrong way. Concrete alternatives need somehow be marked as preferred, I think. There are no precedence rules in Schema, so

<xs:any .../>
<xs:element ...>...</xs:element>

would be invalid because the xs:element would never be considered. I think that's what the error means in this case.

[simonm]

How do I present it in the right way then?

[CornedBee]

I don't know. I'm not that familiar with Schema.
But I believe there is a way to force foreign extension elements to come from a different namespace. You could try that.

[simonm]

Unfortunately, I can't do that because there is no such namespace. I want my documents that are created with future versions of my schema to be compatible with this version of the schema too.

For instance, if a newer version of my schema contains additional elements, I want the original version of the schema to simply ignore these additional elements, only validating the original elements...

[CornedBee]

Well, you could simply say that there IS such a namespace, an extension namespace. Have future versions of this document use a different namespace for extensions.

I can't help you further than that.

[simonm]

Thanks.

Haven't seen you around for a while...? Don't do galah/mangojacks these days?

[CornedBee]

Very little on MangoJack. I regularly browse GalahTech, but not the chat section.