No on both counts. A DOMElement need not have children, and if it does, the first one could be another element or a comment (for example).
It seems that you're finding your way around XML as well as Xerces. You may find that a little time spent with an introductory text (on XML syntax and the DOM) is well repaid. Or, if you're a compulsively detail-oriented masochist, you could always read the specs at http://www.w3.org/TR/. -----Original Message----- From: Patrick M. Rutkowski [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 2:36 PM To: [email protected] Subject: DOMElement, mandatory DOMText child? Will every DOMElement always have at least one child, and in the case of the DOMElement having one and only one child, will that child always be a DOMText? Basically, I need to know if elem->getChildNodes()->item(0) is _always_ safe operation, and I furthermore know if I can rely on item(0) always being a DOMText provided that getChildNodes()->getLength() == 1. Still learning the basics, -Patrick
