[ACCEPTED]-Difference/similarities between xsd:any and xsd:anyType-xsd
This post explains it nicely. I quote:
xsd:anyType 17 is a type, like xsd:integer (though xsd:anyType 16 is special in that it can act as a simple or 15 complex type, and it places essentially 14 no restrictions on the tree that it validates 13 -- think of it loosely as the Schema language's analog 12 of java.lang.Object).
A sample use would 11 be:
<xsd:element name="e" type="xsd:anyType"/>
This would mean that elements named
<e>can 10 have any content, any attributes, etc.xs:any 9 is a wildcard, usable as a term in a content 8 model. For example:
<xsd:complexType name="T">
<xsd:sequence>
<xsd:element ref="A"/>
<xsd:any />
<xsd:element ref="C"/>
</xsd:sequence>
</xsd:complexType>
Elements of type T must 7 have content
<A/><???/><C/>, where<???>can be any named 6 element. Now, if you look really closely 5 there is an approximation to the definition 4 of xsd:anyType given for reference in 3 the Recommendation, and it uses an xsd:any wildcard 2 as the means of saying that it allows 1 any elements.
Also take a look at the XML Schema.
The mailing list post linked in dogbane's 5 answer wasn't clear to me until I created 4 the following example:
With anyType schema:
<xsd:complexType name="Outer">
<xsd:element name="e" type="xsd:anyType" />
</xsd:complexType>
Which 3 allows this format:
<Outer>
<e> // must be called "e"
// but anything can go inside
</e>
</Outer>
And with any schema:
<xsd:complexType name="Outer">
<xsd:any />
</xsd:complexType>
Which 2 allows this format:
<Outer>
//anything can go inside
</Outer>
So anyType is a type, and 1 any is an element
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