@XMLRootElement versus @XmlType

Question

What\'s the difference between annotating a class with @XMLRootElement and @XMLType. I\'ve been annotating classes with @XMLType when

Answer 1

The difference between XmlRootElement and XmlType is a matter of scoping. Remember this annotation is merely dictating the creation of the schema used to generate your XML. The XmlRootElement denotes a global element (with an anonymous or schema type):

  <-- schema type

while the XmlType is used to denote a local element (with an anonymous or complex type):

  <-- complex type

The main differences in local/global here are in the hierarchy of the schema your object will appear in and whether you are declaring a schema type or complex type. The documentation for both of these annotations is well written and includes examples:

XmlRootElement

XmlType

EDIT: Addressing the propOrder question: you can use it on a global element if you are also declaring a local type:

@XmlRootElement (name="PersonElement")
@XmlType (propOrder={"firstname", "lastname"})
public class People{
    @XmlElement
    public String firstname;
    public String lastname;
}

This will yield something like: