Special Attributes  

Some attributes are significant to XML:

xml:space
  • The xml:space attribute tells an XML application whether the whitespace within the specified element is significant:

    <!ATTLIST element_name xml:space (default|preserve)
      default_decl>
    <!ATTLIST element_name xml:space (default) #FIXED 'default' >
    <!ATTLIST element_name xml:space (preserve) #FIXED 'preserve' >
  • xml:lang
  • The xml:lang attribute allows a document author to specify the human language for an element's character content. If used in a valid XML document, the document type definition must include an attribute type declaration with the xml:lang attribute name. See Chapter 5 for an explanation of language support in XML.