XML Schemas and "Type"

Question

I'm having a brutal time working with this program, it doesn't even seem like it should be this hard. I won't get in to the situation yet, I keep tripping across other problems as I go. Here's the next one:
According to Eclipse, I'm not allowed to put an element with a type if it also has a restriction, because the restriction seems to (as far as I can tell) automatially attach an "anonymous type" to the element. That is to say:
<element name="foo" type="string">
    <simpleType>
        <restriction base="string">
            [restriction tags]
        </restriction>
    </simpleType>
</element>doesn't work. It also doesn't work if I don't have a "base='x'" line, but that makes a bit more sense. On the other hand:
<element name="foo">
    <simpleType>
        <restriction base="string">
            [restriction tags]
        </restriction>
    </simpleType>
</element>
does work, but causes a number of problems because "foo" no longer has a type to call its own. I'm sure I'm missing something here but I can't work out what.
Here's the exact error from Eclipse's XML Schema Validator, which places an error on foo's declaration line:
"Multiple Annotations found on this line:
- src-element.3: Element 'foo' has both a 'type' attribute and a 'anonymous type' child. Only one of these is allowed for an element.
- Element type "element" must either be followed by attribute types, '>' or '/>'."
Any help would be appreciated, thanks. :)

Answer 1

As the message below indicates you are defining a new simple type but in line with the element definition (enclosed by element tags). As it is in-line it is classed as an anonymous type i.e. has no name. You therefore cannot give an element a type and then specify its type in line.
Athough essentially it is a string (hence requires base type) it is nontheless a new type i.e a string with restrictions. The other way to do this, which will allow you to reuse the type is is as follows
    <xsd:element name="foo" type="myRestrictedString"/>
    <xsd:element name="foo2" type="myRestrictedString"/>
    <xsd:simpleType name="myRestrictedString">
        <xsd:restriction base="xsd:string">
            <xsd:pattern value="[0-9]{3}"/>
        </xsd:restriction>
    </xsd:simpleType>
>
"Multiple Annotations found on this line:
- src-element.3: Element 'foo' has both a 'type'
attribute and a 'anonymous type' child. Only one of
these is allowed for an element.
- Element type "element" must either be followed by
attribute types, '>' or '/>'."