XML Naming Rules and Practices

XML elements must follow these naming rules:

• Names can contain letters, numbers, and other characters
• Names must not start with a number or punctuation character
• Names must not start with the letters xml (or XML, or Xml, etc)
• Names cannot contain spaces

Though no words are reserved for naming, and you can use any letters, numbers for a name, but a good naming practice should be:

• Make names descriptive. For example: <firstname>, <lastname>.
• Keep a name short and simple, like: <product_name>. Do not use a name like this: <the_name_of_the_product>.
• For separate words, You may use an underscore: <first_name>, <last_name>. Avoid use dash "-", dot ".", and colon ":". If you name something "first-name", or "first.name", or first:name", some software may misunderstand it.
• If you need to use non-English letters like ¨¦¨°¨¢ in XML, your should check with the software vendor to find out if it supports them.

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