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Where is the official podcast DTD?
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Solved xmldtdpodcast
D

2

16

The podcast howto on the Apple website shows a sample XML file, which refers to a podcast DTD: podcast-1.0.dtd. The DTD is not available at this address, unfortunately. I heard you can validate a feed using feedvalidator.org, but it's only a service. Is there any other location where the official podcast DTD is available?

The DTD is given as xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd". This URL does not actually resolve to a DTD.

Demi answered 5/12, 2011 at 18:14 Comment(3)
If you look at the Atom spec, you'll see "This specification does not define a DTD for Atom Documents". I suspect the same is true of the iTunes spec. – Bedeck
This might be useful: apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd Also this is the best itunes documation I've found: apple.com/itunes/podcasts/specs.html#summary – Basir
This seems to define DTD from Apple: help.apple.com/itc/podcasts_connect/#/itcb54353390 – Caresse
U
4

no dtd is referenced by the xml attribute you are quoting. instead it is but a (abstract) namespace declaration - syntactically it could be any valid uri as the local name (itunes) could be any id (see here for a formal definition). semantically it represents a particular markup vocabulary. no concrete resource needs to be accessible through the uri.

a dtd reference would have to come as part of a doctype declaration at the beginning of your xml doc, see the formal spec or a gentler explanation.

note that though the examples' discussion limits itself on (x)html-related documents, any xml doc may have a dtd defined.

regards

Unselfish answered 23/1, 2012 at 16:8 Comment(2)
This explains why we don't have to expect to find the DTD for Apple's RSS 2.0 flavour via the URL specified in xmlns:itunes. But it does not answer the original question: Where is the official podcast DTD? Or a related question: Where can I find an XML grammar (DTD, XSD, ...) which specifies Apple's RSS 2.0 format and which I can use for validating those feeds? – Morey
Indeed while there is nothing technically incorrect about this answer it doesn't answer any of the questions the OP had, such as where to find a DTD, or why the documentation says that a DTD should be available at that URL but it isn't (quote "The namespace declaration points to a document that defines the iTunes Store tags") – Loesceke
L
8

I don't believe there is an 'official' podcast DTD that is accessible.

There are unofficial specs put out by various private companies/organisations that run podcast directories (e.g. Apple, Google, Spotify). But, at this time (March 2020), there doesn't appear to be any such published podcast DTD.

The following resources may help...

Official Generic RSS Spec

For information about the general rss feed specification, see the following:

Official RSS Spec

Unofficial Commercial Specs

For information about podcast-specific rss feed specifications, see the following:

Apple Podcasts Connect Help

Google Feed Requirements

Spotify Podcast Delivery Specification

There are also online services where you can post a URL to your podcast rss feed and check they are valid against some of the above-mentioned specs...

I recently posted details about such validators in this answer.

Luthern answered 17/3, 2020 at 21:9 Comment(0)
U
4

no dtd is referenced by the xml attribute you are quoting. instead it is but a (abstract) namespace declaration - syntactically it could be any valid uri as the local name (itunes) could be any id (see here for a formal definition). semantically it represents a particular markup vocabulary. no concrete resource needs to be accessible through the uri.

a dtd reference would have to come as part of a doctype declaration at the beginning of your xml doc, see the formal spec or a gentler explanation.

note that though the examples' discussion limits itself on (x)html-related documents, any xml doc may have a dtd defined.

regards

Unselfish answered 23/1, 2012 at 16:8 Comment(2)
This explains why we don't have to expect to find the DTD for Apple's RSS 2.0 flavour via the URL specified in xmlns:itunes. But it does not answer the original question: Where is the official podcast DTD? Or a related question: Where can I find an XML grammar (DTD, XSD, ...) which specifies Apple's RSS 2.0 format and which I can use for validating those feeds? – Morey
Indeed while there is nothing technically incorrect about this answer it doesn't answer any of the questions the OP had, such as where to find a DTD, or why the documentation says that a DTD should be available at that URL but it isn't (quote "The namespace declaration points to a document that defines the iTunes Store tags") – Loesceke

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