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<title>Constrained Child Nodes</title>
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<td valign="top" class="NAME">Constrained Child Nodes</td>
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<span class="PROGRAMLISTING"><pre><strong class="userinput">&lt;!ELEMENT</strong> <var class="replaceable">name</var> <strong class="userinput">(</strong><var class="replaceable">child_node_regexp</var><strong class="userinput">)</strong><var class="replaceable">[</var><strong class="userinput">? | * | +</strong><var class="replaceable">]</var><strong class="userinput">&gt;</strong></pre></span>
<p>
XML provides a simple
regular-expression syntax that can be
used to limit the order and number of child elements within a parent
element. This language includes the following operators:</p>

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<p>Operator</p>
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<p><span class="LITERAL">Name</span></p>
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<p>Matches an element of the given name</p>
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<p><span class="LITERAL">( )</span></p>
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<p>Groups expressions for processing as sets of sequences (using the
comma as a separator) or choices (using | as a separator)</p>
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<p><span class="LITERAL">?</span></p>
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<p>Indicates that the preceding name or expression can occur zero or one
times at this point in the document</p>
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<p><span class="LITERAL">*</span></p>
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<p>Indicates that the preceding name or expression can occur zero or
more times at this point in the document</p>
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<p><span class="LITERAL">+</span></p>
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<p>Indicates that the preceding name or expression must occur one or
more times at this point in the document</p>
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