Attribute Groups (XSM)

Attribute groups are not supported by XDR.

An attribute group is a set of attributes, which is referenced in the model by various elements:

An attribute group - is created independently, without a parent element, and can be reused multiple times by elements, complex types or other global attribute groups, through references. In a schema, it is directly linked to the <schema> tag (root element). See Creating an attribute group.
A reference to an attribute group - is created within an element, complex type, or global attribute group, and makes the referenced attribute group available to its parent. See Creating a reference to an attribute group.

For example:

The quality attribute group is composed of the guarantee and qualityStandards attributes. The productA element reuses the quality attribute group via the Attributes tab of its property sheet.

Generated XSD file:

In a schema, a group of attributes is declared with the <attributeGroup> tag. It can contain the following tags: <attribute>, <attributeGroup> or <anyAttribute>.
Generated DTD file:

Creating an Attribute Group
An attribute group is created independently, and will be reused within other elements by way of references.
Creating a Reference to an Attribute Group
A reference to an attribute group is created within an element, complex type, or attribute group, and makes the referenced attribute group available to its parent. You can create a reference to an attribute group as follows:
Attribute Group Properties
You can modify an object's properties from its property sheet. To open an attribute group (or reference to an attribute group) property sheet, double-click its Browser entry in the Attribute Groups folder (or, in the case of a reference to an attribute group, beneath its parent object). The following sections detail the property sheet tabs that contain the properties most commonly entered for attribute groups.

Parent topic: Building XML Diagrams