An XML Snippet is a section of XML data containing an element. What makes if different from an XML Document is the element does not have to be declared as a root element in the XML Schema, it can be an element defined in-place within the schema or as a xs:complexType.

So looking at the following example

<Person>
   <Name>
      <Forename>Joe</Forename>
      <Surname>Blogs</Surname>
   </Name>
   <Address>
      <Line1>5</Line1>
      <Line2>Acacia Av</Line2>
      <Line3>Springfield</Line3>
   </Address>
</Person>

 The element 'Person' is declared as a root element in the schema, so this is a valid XML document and is also an XML Snippet.

<Name>
   <Forename>Joe</Forename>
   <Surname>Blogs</Surname>
</Name>

 The element 'Name' is declared inline within the definition for 'Person', and is NOT a root element.

<Address>
   <Line1>5</Line1>
   <Line2>Acacia Av</Line2>
   <Line3>Springfield</Line3>
</Address>

The element 'Address' is declared using the complexType 'AddressType', and is NOT a valid root element.

Reading XML Snippets

Special considerations and API methods should be used when reading XML Snippets, see

• Reading XML Streams (Reading large files)
• LxSerializer.DeserializeSnippet Method
• LxSerializer<T>.DeserializeSnippet Method

 Writing XML Snippets

 Special considerations and API methods should be used when writing XML Snippets, see

• Writing XML Streams (Writing large files)
• LxSerializer.DeserializeSnippet Method
• LxSerializer<T>.DeserializeSnippet Method