error: Error parsing XML: not well-formed (invalid token) …?

Question

I am working on an application, with following XML. but whenI try to clean/build my project the following error occurs:

"error: Error parsing XML: not well-formed (invalid token)"

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:orientation="vertical"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent"
>
<TextView  
android:layout_width="fill_parent" 
android:layout_height="wrap_content" 
android:text="@string/hello";
/>
</LinearLayout>

What does it possibly mean?

Answer 1

It means there is a compilation error in your XML file, something that shouldn't be there: a spelling mistake/a spurious character/an incorrect namespace.

Your issue is you've got a semicolon that shouldn't be there after this line:

  android:text="@string/hello";

Answer 2

I had this problem, and when I had android:text="< Go back" it had the correct syntax highlighting, but then I realized it's the < symbol that is messing everything up.

Answer 3

I had same problem. you can't use left < arrow in text property like as android:text="< Go to back" in your xml file. Remove any < arrow from you xml code.

Hope It will help you.use

Answer 4

Verify that you don't have any spaces or tabs before

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

also refresh and clean your project in eclipse.

I get this error every now and then and the above suggestions fix the issue 99% of the time

Answer 5

To solve this issue, I pasted my layout into https://www.xmlvalidation.com/, which told me exactly what the error was. As was the case with other answers, my XML had < in a string.

Answer 6

Remove the semicolon after hello

Answer 7

In my case I forgot to end my ConstrainLayout

</android.support.constraint.ConstraintLayout>

After that, everything started working correctly.

Answer 8

I tried everything on my end and ended up with the following.

I had the first line as:

<?xmlversion="1.0"encoding="utf-8"?>

And I was missing two spaces there, and it should be:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

Before the version and before the encoding there should be a space.