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XML Entity References

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XML Entity References

An entity reference is a group of characters used in text as a substitute for a single specific character that is also a markup delimiter in XML. Using the entity reference prevents a literal character from being mistaken for a markup delimiter For example, if an attribute must contain a left angle bracket (<), you can substitute the entity reference "&lt;". Entity references always begin with an ampersand (&) and end with a semicolon (;). You can also substitute a numeric or hexadecimal reference. The entities predefined in XML are identified in the following table.

Character Entity
reference
Numeric
reference
Hexadecimal
reference
& &amp; &#38; &#x26;
< &lt; &#60; &#x3C;
> &gt; &#62; &#x3E;
" &quot; &#34; &#x22;
' &apos; &#39; &#x27;

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