Why use an empty element in XML?

Question

Rank amateur here. I get the instructions on HOW to use an empty element in XML. But why would you? What would it be used for, other than (I guess) to add a blank record when th

Answer 1

If a schema requires that a tag be present in a certain order, you may need to include that tag even if it has an empty value. For example, the following fragment from a schema indicates you need tag foo before tag bar:

so the following fragment would be valid:

  
  asdf!

But the following would not:

  asdf!

Additionally, you can use an empty tag to represent an empty value (as opposed to a null value). However, if you're trying to represent a null value in XML, you should really use an xsi:nil attribute