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Unexpected XML Declaration. XML Declaration must be the first node in the document and no whitespace characters are allowed to appear before it linit [duplicate]

This error,
The processing instruction target matching "[xX][mM][lL]" is not allowed
occurs whenever I run an XSLT page that begins as follows:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="windows-1256"?>
<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
<xsl:include href="../header.xsl"/>
<xsl:template match="/">
<xsl:call-template name="pstyle"/>
<xsl:call-template name="Validation"/>
<xsl:variable name="strLang">
<xsl:value-of select="//lang"/>
</xsl:variable>
<!-- ////////////// Page Title ///////////// -->
<title>
<xsl:value-of select="//ListStudentFinishedExam.Title"/>
</title>
Note: I removed any leading spaces before the first line, but the error still occurs!

Xerces-based tools will emit the following error
The processing instruction target matching "[xX][mM][lL]" is not allowed.
when an XML declaration is encountered anywhere other than at the top of an XML file.
This is a valid diagnostic message; other XML parsers should issue a similar error message in this situation.
To correct the problem, check the following possibilities:
Some blank space or other visible content exists before the <?xml ?>
declaration.
Resolution: remove blank space or any other
visible content before the XML declaration.
Some invisible content exists before the <?xml ?>
declaration. Most commonly this is a Byte Order Mark
(BOM).
Resolution:
Remove the BOM using techniques such as those suggested by the W3C
page on the BOM in HTML.
A stray <?xml ?> declaration exists within the XML content.
This can happen when XML files are combined programmatically or
via cut-and-paste. There can only be one <?xml ?> declaration
in an XML file, and it can only be at the top.
Resolution: Search for
<?xml in a case-insensitive manner, and remove all but the top XML
declaration from the file.

Debug your XML file. Either there is space or added extra or fewer tags.
For better understanding build the project through the command line. Windows: gradlew build
In my case, AndroidManifest.xml has a blank space at the very first line
<Empty Row> // This Creates the issue
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

There was auto generated Copyright message in XML and a blank line before <resources> tag, once I removed it my build was successful.

just remove this line: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> because this kind of error only come because of this line or you might also check the format of your line according the mentioned line in this answer.

I had a similar issue with 50,000 rdf/xml files in 5,000 directories (the Project Gutenberg catalog file). I solved it with riot (in the jena distribution)
the directory is cache/epub/NN/nn.rdf (where NN is a number)
in the directory above the directory where all the files are, i.e. in cache
riot epub/*/*.rdf --output=turtle > allTurtle.ttl
This produces possibly many warnings but the result is in a format which can be loaded into jena (using the fuseki web interface).
surprisingly simple (at least in this case).

Another reason of the above error is corrupted jar file. I got the same error but for Junit when running unit tests. Removing jar and downloading it again fixed the issue.

in my case was a wrong path in a config file: file was not found (path was wrong) and it came out with this exception:
Error configuring from input stream. Initial cause was The processing
instruction target matching "[xX][mM][lL]" is not allowed.

For PHP, put this line of code before you start printing your XML:
while(ob_get_level()) ob_end_clean();

It's worth checking your server's folders to see if there's a stray pom.xml hanging around.
I found that I had the problem everyone else described with a malformed pom.xml, but in a folder that I didn't expect to be on the server. An old build was sticking around unwelcome D:

For my case, the tab is the trouble maker. Replace the tab with blank should resolve the issue

Generate XML File From Generated Object

I started with three (3) XSD files provided from an external party (one XSD links to the other two). I used the xsd.exe tool to generate a .NET object by running the following command: xsd.exe mof-simpleTypes.xsd mof-isp.xsd esf-submission.xsd /c and it generated a single CS file with a handful of partial objects.
I've created an XmlSerializerNamespaces object and fill with the namespaces required (two directly used in the provided sample XML file as well as two others that don't appear to be referenced). I have successfully generated an XML file using the following method:
private XmlDocument ConvertEsfToXml(ESFSubmissionType type)
{
var xml = new XmlDocument();
var serializer = new XmlSerializer(type.GetType());
string result;
using (var writer = new Utf8StringWriter()) //override of StringWriter to force UTF-8
{
serializer.Serialize(writer, type, _namespaces); //_namespaces object holds all 4 namespaces
result = writer.ToString();
}
xml.LoadXml(result);
return xml;
}
My problem that I'm facing is in the generated CS file, one of the objects has a property (another generated partial object) that is of type XmlElement. I have successfully built the object in code, and I'm having an issue converting the object to an XmlElement. The questions and answers I have found here on SO say convert it to an XmlDocument first and then take the DocumentElement property. This works, however the returned XML has namespaces embedded in the element as follows:
<esf:ESFSubmission xmlns:isp="http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/schema/isp" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:esf="http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/schema/esf">
<esf:submissionMetadata>
<esf:emailAddress>test#test.com</esf:emailAddress>
<esf:telephoneNumber>1234567890</esf:telephoneNumber>
</esf:submissionMetadata>
<esf:submissionContent>
<isp:ISPSubmission xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:esf="http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/schema/esf" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:isp="http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/schema/isp">
<isp:ISPMillReport>
<isp:reportMonth>12</isp:reportMonth>
<isp:reportYear>2014</isp:reportYear>
<isp:reportComment>comment</isp:reportComment>
<isp:ISPLumberDetail>
<isp:species>FI</isp:species>
Note: this is just a partial of the generated XML file (for illustration purposes).
As you can see, each XML node is prefixed with the namespace variable. My question is: how can I do this in code? Is my approach sound and if so, then how do NOT include the namespaces in the ISPSubmission node OR if there is a better way to approach this problem that I overlooked, please provide insight. My desired outcome is to have all namespace definitions at the top of the document (their appropriate location) and not on the sub elements - as well as maintain the namespace variables on each element as illustrated above.
EDIT (after reggaeguitar's comment)
Here is the sample XML document I was provided
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<esf:ESFSubmission xmlns:esf="http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/schema/esf"
xmlns:isp="http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/schema/isp" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/schema/esf esf-submission.xsd
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/schema/isp mof-isp.xsd">
<esf:submissionMetadata>
<esf:emailAddress>mailto:eric.murphy#cgi.com</esf:emailAddress>
<esf:telephoneNumber>6044445555</esf:telephoneNumber>
</esf:submissionMetadata>
<esf:submissionContent>
<isp:ISPSubmission>
<isp:ISPMillReport>
<isp:reportMonth>06</isp:reportMonth>
<isp:reportYear>2014</isp:reportYear>
<isp:reportComment>Up to 4000 characters is permitted for notes in this element.</isp:reportComment>
<isp:ISPLumberDetail>
<isp:species>FI</isp:species>
<isp:lumberGrade>EC</isp:lumberGrade>
<isp:gradeDescription/>
<isp:size>2x4</isp:size>
<isp:finishType/>
<isp:length>10</isp:length>
<isp:thickWidthUom>IN</isp:thickWidthUom>
<isp:volumeUnitOfMeasure>MBM</isp:volumeUnitOfMeasure>
<isp:volume>11543.987</isp:volume>
<isp:amount>1467893.98</isp:amount>
<isp:invoiceNumber>837261</isp:invoiceNumber>
</isp:ISPLumberDetail>
<isp:ISPLumberDetail>
<isp:species>CE</isp:species>
<isp:lumberGrade/>
<isp:gradeDescription/>
<isp:size/>
<isp:finishType>D</isp:finishType>
<isp:thickness>40</isp:thickness>
<isp:width>100</isp:width>
<isp:thickWidthUom>MM</isp:thickWidthUom>
<isp:volumeUnitOfMeasure>MBM</isp:volumeUnitOfMeasure>
<isp:volume>9743.987</isp:volume>
<isp:amount>1247893.98</isp:amount>
<isp:invoiceNumber/>
</isp:ISPLumberDetail>
<isp:ISPChipDetail>
<isp:species>CE</isp:species>
<isp:unitOfMeasure>BDT</isp:unitOfMeasure>
<isp:wholeLogInd>N</isp:wholeLogInd>
<isp:destinationCode>FBCO</isp:destinationCode>
<isp:destinationDescription/>
<isp:volume>563</isp:volume>
<isp:amount>54463</isp:amount>
<isp:invoiceNumber>12345679</isp:invoiceNumber>
</isp:ISPChipDetail>
</isp:ISPMillReport>
<isp:ISPSubmitter>
<isp:millNumber>103</isp:millNumber>
<isp:contactName>Dave Marotto</isp:contactName>
<isp:contactEmail>eric.murphy#cgi.com</isp:contactEmail>
<isp:contactPhone>2507775555</isp:contactPhone>
<isp:contactPhoneExtension>1234</isp:contactPhoneExtension>
</isp:ISPSubmitter>
</isp:ISPSubmission>
</esf:submissionContent>
</esf:ESFSubmission>

Solved my problem by doing the whole thing in code and not even using the xsd.exe to generate a .NET object.

Why does having a xmlns cause my C# program not to read XML?

I have a C# program that attempts to read the following xml, but can't read any elements:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!-- Comments Here -->
<FileFeed
xmlns="http://www.mycompany.com/schemas/xxx/FileFeed/V1"
xmlns:xsi = "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.somecompany.com/schemas/xxx/FileFeed/V1
FileFeed.xsd"
RecordCount = "1">
<Object>
<ID>PAMSMOKE110113xxx</ID>
<CorpID>12509</CorpID>
<AnotherID>201654702345</AnotherID>
<TimeStamp>2013-09-03</TimeStamp>
<Type>Some Type</Type>
<SIM_ID>89011704258012600767</SIM_ID>
<Code>ZZZ</Code>
<Year>2013</Year>
</Object>
</FileFeed>
With the above XML my C# program is unable to read any elements.. For instance the ID Element is always NULL.
Now if I simply remove the first xmlns from the above XML, my program can read all the elements without any issues. The problem is I have to process the XML file in the format that's given to me, and can't change the file format. My program reads the below XML just fine: Note the line xmlns="http://www.mycompany.com/schemas/xxx/FileFeed/V1" is removed.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!-- Comments Here -->
<FileFeed
xmlns:xsi = "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.somecompany.com/schemas/xxx/FileFeed/V1
FileFeed.xsd"
RecordCount = "1">
<Object>
<ID>PAMSMOKE110113xxx</ID>
<CorpID>12509</CorpID>
<AnotherID>201654702345</AnotherID>
<TimeStamp>2013-09-03</TimeStamp>
<Type>Some Type</Type>
<SomeNumber>89011704258012600767</SomeNumber>
<Code>ZZZ</Code>
<Year>2013</Year>
</Object>
</FileFeed>
I realize I'm not posting any code, but just wondering what possible issue could I be having, where simply removing the xmlns line resolves everything??

Your problem is with xml namespaces
Using Linq2Xml
XNamespace ns = "http://www.mycompany.com/schemas/xxx/FileFeed/V1";
var xDoc = XDocument.Load(fname);
var id = xDoc.Root.Element(ns + "Object").Element(ns + "ID").Value;

Your root element FileFeed has a namespace attribute. This means that each element inside it also uses that namespace.
The Element method takes an XName as its argument. Usually you use a string which gets implicitly converted into an XName.
If you want to include a namespace you create an XNamespace and add the string. Since XNamespace overloads the + operator this will also result in an XName.
XDocument doc = XDocument.Load("Test.xml");
// this will be null
XElement objectElementWithoutNS = doc.Root.Element("Object");
XNamespace ns = doc.Root.GetDefaultNamespace();
XElement objectElementWithNS = doc.Root.Element(ns + "Object");

Xml namespaces are more or less like C# namespaces. Would you be able to access a class when its namespace is set or not set?
public namespace My.Company.Schemas {
public class FileFeed
vs
public class FileFeed {
They are two DISTINCT classes! The same applies to XML - by setting a namespace you make it possible to have documents with similar or even the same internal structure but they represent two disctinct documents that are not exchangeable. This is really convenient.
If you'd like to get help on why your actual reading method doesn't consider the namespace, you have to present the C# code. The general rule though is that any reading API makes is possible to set the namespace for actual reading.

Linq to XML - how do I get this element value

Fairly simple one, but my knowledge is limited in this area. I'm using the following c# code to access the value of elements within my SGML and XML documents.
It's working fine when there is only one element with the given name in the document, but as soon as there are more than one element with the same name it throws an exception, obviously!
I need to use xpath or some other way of specifying the location of the element i'm trying to get the value of.
XDocument doc = XDocument.Load(sgmlReader);
string system = doc.Descendants("chapnum").Single().Value;
return system;
This works fine, if there is only one "chapnum" in the doc, but i need to specifically get the value of "chapnum" at the following nested location "dmaddres/chapnum".
How please?
Here is a sample of the xml doc. I'm trying to get the value of the "chapnum" element nested in the "dmaddress" element.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE dmodule []>
<dmodule xmlns:dc="http://www.purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="http://www.s1000d.org/S1000D_2-3-1/xml_schema_flat/descript.xsd">
<idstatus>
<dmaddres>
<dmc><avee><modelic>xx</modelic><sdc>A</sdc><chapnum>29</chapnum>
<section>1</section><subsect>3</subsect><subject>54</subject><discode
>00</discode><discodev>AAA</discodev><incode>042</incode><incodev
>A</incodev><itemloc>D</itemloc></avee></dmc>
<dmtitle><techname>Switch</techname><infoname>Description of function</infoname>
</dmtitle>
<issno inwork="00" issno="001" type="new"/>
<issdate day="20" month="07" year="2012"/>
<language language="sx"/></dmaddres>
<status>
<security class="01"/><datarest><instruct><distrib>-</distrib><expcont
>Obey the national regulations for export control.</expcont></instruct>
<inform><copyright><para><refdm><avee><modelic>xx</modelic><sdc>A</sdc>
<chapnum>29</chapnum><section>1</section><subsect>3</subsect><subject
>54</subject><discode>00</discode><discodev>ZZZ</discodev><incode
>021</incode><incodev>Z</incodev><itemloc>D</itemloc></avee></refdm
></para></copyright><datacond>BREXREF=AJ-A-00-00-00-05ZZZ-022Z-D VERSUB=CDIM-V6</datacond>
</inform></datarest>
<rpc>xxxxx</rpc>
<orig>xxxxx</orig>
<applic>
<type>-</type>
<model model="xxxxx"><mfc>xxxxx</mfc><pnr>xxxxxxx</pnr></model>
</applic>
<brexref><refdm><avee><modelic>xx</modelic><sdc>A</sdc><chapnum>00</chapnum>
<section>0</section><subsect>0</subsect><subject>00</subject><discode
>05</discode><discodev>ZZZ</discodev><incode>022</incode><incodev
>Z</incodev><itemloc>D</itemloc></avee></refdm></brexref>

like this?
string system = doc.Descendants("dmaddres")
.Single(e => e.Element("chapnum") != null)
.Element("chapnum").Value;
string system = doc.Root.Element("dmaddres").Element("chapnum").Value;
would probably do just as well.

In XML, what are the nodes with question marks called, and how do I add them in C#?

Here's an example of an XML file created in InfoPath:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?mso-infoPathSolution solutionVersion="1.0.0.1" productVersion="12.0.0" PIVersion="1.0.0.0" href="file:///C:\Metastorm\Sample%20Procedures\InfoPath%20samples\Template1.xsn" name="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:infopath:Template1:-myXSD-2010-07-21T14-21-13" ?>
<?mso-application progid="InfoPath.Document" versionProgid="InfoPath.Document.2"?>
<my:myFields xmlns:my="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/infopath/2003/myXSD/2010-07-21T14:21:13" xml:lang="en-us">
<my:field1>hello</my:field1>
<my:field2>world</my:field2>
</my:myFields>
What are those top 3 nodes with the question mark called... and how do I create them in C#?
So far I have this:
XmlDocument xmldoc;
XmlDeclaration xmlDeclaration;
xmldoc=new XmlDocument();
xmlDeclaration = xmldoc.CreateNode(XmlNodeType.XmlDeclaration, "", "") as XmlDeclaration;
xmlDeclaration.Encoding = "UTF-8";
xmldoc.AppendChild(xmlDeclaration);
This works fine for the top XML declaration node , but how do I create the next two?
Thanks in advance :)

These are called processing instructions. Add 'em using XmlDocument.CreateProcessingInstruction.

Those are called processing instructions. You can use the XmlProcessingInstruction class to interact with them in an XmlDocument.
As with most elements defined within an XmlDocument, you cannot instantiate it directly; you must use the appropriate factory method on XmlDocument (CreateProcessingInstruction in that particular case.)

Thanks for explaining that these are processing instructions. Using CreateProcessingInstruction as suggested, here is the solution:
xmlPi = xmldoc.CreateProcessingInstruction("mso-infoPathSolution", "solutionVersion=\"1.0.0.1\" productVersion=\"12.0.0\" PIVersion=\"1.0.0.0\" href=\"file:///C:\\Metastorm\\Sample%20Procedures\\InfoPath%20samples\\Template1.xsn\" name=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:infopath:Template1:-myXSD-2010-07-21T14-21-13\"");
xmldoc.AppendChild(xmlPi);