C# documentation XML: Is there a DTD?

Question

I'm writing XML documentation for a couple of C# projects. I want to be able to parse the file that comes out into HTML suitable for posting on GitHub Pages. I've got a pretty good handle on the parsing process itself, but I need an idea of all the elements that might show up in documentation.

I thought that a DTD might be the best resource for this, does that exist? Or is this all completely free-form?

I realize there are a few tools that already exist to do this, but I want finer control over the process and honestly it's good practice anyway.

Answer 1

XML validation is a product of some sort of application. The documentation comments in C# are just XML. It is the application that you parse/process the comments with that determines if there are any rules for what elements are allowed. There are multiple applications that can convert XML documentation comments into documentation, and you could even build your own if needed.

As mentioned, MSDN has a list of available elements . These are standardized across most parsers. If you need to add additional elements it is fine if you have a parser that can handle them. You could even add an XSD or DTD if you wanted for that application, if supported.