CDATA sections

You can export the name of a column in a CDATA section using the syntax <![CDATA[columnname]]>. You can export the value of a column using the syntax <![CDATA[~t columnname]]>. The ~t is used to introduce a expression. You can also use an expression such as ~t columnname*columnname to export a computed value to the XML.

You can import a value into a column using the syntax <![CDATA[ columnname]]>. Note that this syntax in a template has different results for import and export: it imports the column value but exports the column name.

You cannot import an XML file that has a ~t expression in a CDATA section.

Everything else inside a CDATA section is ignored by the parser. If text contains characters such as less than or greater than signs (< or >) or ampersands (&) that are significant to the parser, it should be defined as a CDATA section. A CDATA section starts with <![CDATA[ and ends with ]]>. CDATA sections cannot be nested, and there can be no white space characters inside the ]]> delimiter—for example, you cannot put a space between the two square brackets.

Example

<![CDATA[
   do not parse me
]]>

This syntax in an export template exports the value of the column emp_salary:

<![CDATA[~t emp_salary]]>

This syntax in an import template imports the value of the column emp_salary:

<![CDATA[emp_salary]]>