Empty XML Element tag issue

[pbrooks100]

I'm using JKI-EasyXML to write test results for a third party. They claim that the empty elements contained in the file are not compliant; the element tag should have a space between the name and the forward slash. Their parser rejects the JKI-EasyXML output.

https://www.w3schools.com/xml/xml_elements.asp

There are two ways to indicate an empty element;

<element></element> or <element />

Example of JKI-EasyXML output:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?>
<TESTRESULTS>
  <MODEL>UNKNOWN</MODEL>
  <PC>Station 1</PC>
  <SERIALNUMBER>BR549</SERIALNUMBER>
  <PN/>
  <MAC>00:11:22:33:44:55</MAC>
  <HWID/>
  <R/>
  <PASSFAIL>P</PASSFAIL>
  <FAILCODE/>
</TESTRESULTS>

Expected XML:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?>
<TESTRESULTS>
  <MODEL>UNKNOWN</MODEL>
  <PC>Station 1</PC>
  <SERIALNUMBER>BR549</SERIALNUMBER>
  <PN />
  <MAC>00:11:22:33:44:55</MAC>
  <HWID />
  <R />
  <PASSFAIL>P</PASSFAIL>
  <FAILCODE />
</TESTRESULTS>

I've narrowed the issue down to

 'JKI_EasyXML.llb\XML Build Entity__JKI EasyXML.vi'

but due to the recursive design of the calling VI

 'JKI_EasyXML.llb\Variant to XML - core - __JKI EasyXML.vi' 

I am hesitant to make any quick changes.

[JKSH]

They claim that the empty elements contained in the file are not compliant; the element tag should have a space between the name and the forward slash.

No, the space before the slash is optional in XML. See the official spec: https://www.w3.org/TR/xml/#dt-empty.

The third-party parser is the non-compliant one here.

Example of JKI-EasyXML output:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?>
<TESTRESULTS>
  <MODEL>UNKNOWN</MODEL>
  <PC>Station 1</PC>
  <SERIALNUMBER>BR549</SERIALNUMBER>
  <PN/>
  <MAC>00:11:22:33:44:55</MAC>
  <HWID/>
  <R/>
  <PASSFAIL>P</PASSFAIL>
  <FAILCODE/>
</TESTRESULTS>

The W3C validator accepts this as well-formed XML: http://validator.w3.org/#validate_by_input