DocumentBuilderFactory (Java Platform SE 8 )
Keywords: javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilderFactory class
Date: 2026-03-16

compact2, compact3
javax.xml.parsers

## Class DocumentBuilderFactory

- java.lang.Object
- - javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilderFactory

-     public abstract class DocumentBuilderFactory
      extends Object

  Defines a factory API that enables applications to obtain a parser that produces DOM object trees from XML documents.
  Since:
    1.4

- - ### Constructor Summary

    Constructors
    Modifier | Constructor and Description
    --- | ---
    `protected` | `DocumentBuilderFactory()` Protected constructor to prevent instantiation.

  - ### Method Summary

    All Methods Static Methods Instance Methods Abstract Methods Concrete Methods
    Modifier and Type | Method and Description
    --- | ---
    `abstract Object` | `getAttribute(String name)` Allows the user to retrieve specific attributes on the underlying implementation.
    `abstract boolean` | `getFeature(String name)` Get the state of the named feature.
    `Schema` | `getSchema()` Gets the `Schema` object specified through the `setSchema(Schema schema)` method.
    `boolean` | `isCoalescing()` Indicates whether or not the factory is configured to produce parsers which converts CDATA nodes to Text nodes and appends it to the adjacent (if any) Text node.
    `boolean` | `isExpandEntityReferences()` Indicates whether or not the factory is configured to produce parsers which expand entity reference nodes.
    `boolean` | `isIgnoringComments()` Indicates whether or not the factory is configured to produce parsers which ignores comments.
    `boolean` | `isIgnoringElementContentWhitespace()` Indicates whether or not the factory is configured to produce parsers which ignore ignorable whitespace in element content.
    `boolean` | `isNamespaceAware()` Indicates whether or not the factory is configured to produce parsers which are namespace aware.
    `boolean` | `isValidating()` Indicates whether or not the factory is configured to produce parsers which validate the XML content during parse.
    `boolean` | `isXIncludeAware()` Get state of XInclude processing.
    `abstract DocumentBuilder` | `newDocumentBuilder()` Creates a new instance of a `DocumentBuilder` using the currently configured parameters.
    `static DocumentBuilderFactory` | `newInstance()` Obtain a new instance of a `DocumentBuilderFactory`.
    `static DocumentBuilderFactory` | `newInstance(String factoryClassName, ClassLoader classLoader)` Obtain a new instance of a `DocumentBuilderFactory` from class name.
    `abstract void` | `setAttribute(String name, Object value)` Allows the user to set specific attributes on the underlying implementation.
    `void` | `setCoalescing(boolean coalescing)` Specifies that the parser produced by this code will convert CDATA nodes to Text nodes and append it to the adjacent (if any) text node.
    `void` | `setExpandEntityReferences(boolean expandEntityRef)` Specifies that the parser produced by this code will expand entity reference nodes.
    `abstract void` | `setFeature(String name, boolean value)` Set a feature for this `DocumentBuilderFactory` and `DocumentBuilder`s created by this factory.
    `void` | `setIgnoringComments(boolean ignoreComments)` Specifies that the parser produced by this code will ignore comments.
    `void` | `setIgnoringElementContentWhitespace(boolean whitespace)` Specifies that the parsers created by this factory must eliminate whitespace in element content (sometimes known loosely as 'ignorable whitespace') when parsing XML documents (see XML Rec 2.10).
    `void` | `setNamespaceAware(boolean awareness)` Specifies that the parser produced by this code will provide support for XML namespaces.
    `void` | `setSchema(Schema schema)` Set the `Schema` to be used by parsers created from this factory.
    `void` | `setValidating(boolean validating)` Specifies that the parser produced by this code will validate documents as they are parsed.
    `void` | `setXIncludeAware(boolean state)` Set state of XInclude processing.

    - ### Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

      `clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait`

- - ### Constructor Detail

    - #### DocumentBuilderFactory

          protected DocumentBuilderFactory()

      Protected constructor to prevent instantiation. Use `newInstance()`.

  - ### Method Detail

    - #### newInstance

          public static DocumentBuilderFactory newInstance()

      Obtain a new instance of a `DocumentBuilderFactory`. This static method creates a new factory instance. This method uses the following ordered lookup procedure to determine the `DocumentBuilderFactory` implementation class to load:
      - Use the `javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilderFactory` system property.
      - Use the properties file "lib/jaxp.properties" in the JRE directory. This configuration file is in standard `java.util.Properties` format and contains the fully qualified name of the implementation class with the key being the system property defined above. The jaxp.properties file is read only once by the JAXP implementation and it's values are then cached for future use. If the file does not exist when the first attempt is made to read from it, no further attempts are made to check for its existence. It is not possible to change the value of any property in jaxp.properties after it has been read for the first time.
      - Uses the service-provider loading facilities, defined by the `ServiceLoader` class, to attempt to locate and load an implementation of the service using the default loading mechanism: the service-provider loading facility will use the current thread's context class loader to attempt to load the service. If the context class loader is null, the system class loader will be used.
      - Otherwise, the system-default implementation is returned.
      Once an application has obtained a reference to a `DocumentBuilderFactory` it can use the factory to configure and obtain parser instances.

      ## Tip for Trouble-shooting

      Setting the `jaxp.debug` system property will cause this method to print a lot of debug messages to `System.err` about what it is doing and where it is looking at.

      If you have problems loading `DocumentBuilder`s, try:

           java -Djaxp.debug=1 YourProgram ....

      Returns:
        New instance of a `DocumentBuilderFactory`
      Throws:
        `FactoryConfigurationError` - in case of service configuration error or if the implementation is not available or cannot be instantiated.

    - #### newInstance

          public static DocumentBuilderFactory newInstance(String factoryClassName,
                                                           ClassLoader classLoader)

      Obtain a new instance of a `DocumentBuilderFactory` from class name. This function is useful when there are multiple providers in the classpath. It gives more control to the application as it can specify which provider should be loaded.

      Once an application has obtained a reference to a `DocumentBuilderFactory` it can use the factory to configure and obtain parser instances.

      ## Tip for Trouble-shooting

      Setting the `jaxp.debug` system property will cause this method to print a lot of debug messages to `System.err` about what it is doing and where it is looking at.

      If you have problems try:

           java -Djaxp.debug=1 YourProgram ....

      Parameters:
        `factoryClassName` - fully qualified factory class name that provides implementation of `javax.xml.parsers.DocumentBuilderFactory`.
        `classLoader` - `ClassLoader` used to load the factory class. If `null` current `Thread`'s context classLoader is used to load the factory class.
      Returns:
        New instance of a `DocumentBuilderFactory`
      Throws:
        `FactoryConfigurationError` - if `factoryClassName` is `null`, or the factory class cannot be loaded, instantiated.
      Since:
        1.6
      See Also:
        `newInstance()`

    - #### newDocumentBuilder

          public abstract DocumentBuilder newDocumentBuilder()
                                                      throws ParserConfigurationException

      Creates a new instance of a `DocumentBuilder` using the currently configured parameters.
      Returns:
        A new instance of a DocumentBuilder.
      Throws:
        `ParserConfigurationException` - if a DocumentBuilder cannot be created which satisfies the configuration requested.

    - #### setNamespaceAware

          public void setNamespaceAware(boolean awareness)

      Specifies that the parser produced by this code will provide support for XML namespaces. By default the value of this is set to `false`
      Parameters:
        `awareness` - true if the parser produced will provide support for XML namespaces; false otherwise.

    - #### setValidating

          public void setValidating(boolean validating)

      Specifies that the parser produced by this code will validate documents as they are parsed. By default the value of this is set to `false`.

      Note that "the validation" here means a validating parser as defined in the XML recommendation. In other words, it essentially just controls the DTD validation. (except the legacy two properties defined in JAXP 1.2.)

      To use modern schema languages such as W3C XML Schema or RELAX NG instead of DTD, you can configure your parser to be a non-validating parser by leaving the `setValidating(boolean)` method `false`, then use the `setSchema(Schema)` method to associate a schema to a parser.

      Parameters:
        `validating` - true if the parser produced will validate documents as they are parsed; false otherwise.

    - #### setIgnoringElementContentWhitespace

          public void setIgnoringElementContentWhitespace(boolean whitespace)

      Specifies that the parsers created by this factory must eliminate whitespace in element content (sometimes known loosely as 'ignorable whitespace') when parsing XML documents (see XML Rec 2.10). Note that only whitespace which is directly contained within element content that has an element only content model (see XML Rec 3.2.1) will be eliminated. Due to reliance on the content model this setting requires the parser to be in validating mode. By default the value of this is set to `false`.
      Parameters:
        `whitespace` - true if the parser created must eliminate whitespace in the element content when parsing XML documents; false otherwise.

    - #### setExpandEntityReferences

          public void setExpandEntityReferences(boolean expandEntityRef)

      Specifies that the parser produced by this code will expand entity reference nodes. By default the value of this is set to `true`
      Parameters:
        `expandEntityRef` - true if the parser produced will expand entity reference nodes; false otherwise.

    - #### setIgnoringComments

          public void setIgnoringComments(boolean ignoreComments)

      Specifies that the parser produced by this code will ignore comments. By default the value of this is set to `false` .

      Parameters:
        `ignoreComments` - `boolean` value to ignore comments during processing

    - #### setCoalescing

          public void setCoalescing(boolean coalescing)

      Specifies that the parser produced by this code will convert CDATA nodes to Text nodes and append it to the adjacent (if any) text node. By default the value of this is set to `false`
      Parameters:
        `coalescing` - true if the parser produced will convert CDATA nodes to Text nodes and append it to the adjacent (if any) text node; false otherwise.

    - #### isNamespaceAware

          public boolean isNamespaceAware()

      Indicates whether or not the factory is configured to produce parsers which are namespace aware.
      Returns:
        true if the factory is configured to produce parsers which are namespace aware; false otherwise.

    - #### isValidating

          public boolean isValidating()

      Indicates whether or not the factory is configured to produce parsers which validate the XML content during parse.
      Returns:
        true if the factory is configured to produce parsers which validate the XML content during parse; false otherwise.

    - #### isIgnoringElementContentWhitespace

          public boolean isIgnoringElementContentWhitespace()

      Indicates whether or not the factory is configured to produce parsers which ignore ignorable whitespace in element content.
      Returns:
        true if the factory is configured to produce parsers which ignore ignorable whitespace in element content; false otherwise.

    - #### isExpandEntityReferences

          public boolean isExpandEntityReferences()

      Indicates whether or not the factory is configured to produce parsers which expand entity reference nodes.
      Returns:
        true if the factory is configured to produce parsers which expand entity reference nodes; false otherwise.

    - #### isIgnoringComments

          public boolean isIgnoringComments()

      Indicates whether or not the factory is configured to produce parsers which ignores comments.
      Returns:
        true if the factory is configured to produce parsers which ignores comments; false otherwise.

    - #### isCoalescing

          public boolean isCoalescing()

      Indicates whether or not the factory is configured to produce parsers which converts CDATA nodes to Text nodes and appends it to the adjacent (if any) Text node.
      Returns:
        true if the factory is configured to produce parsers which converts CDATA nodes to Text nodes and appends it to the adjacent (if any) Text node; false otherwise.

    - #### setAttribute

          public abstract void setAttribute(String name,
                                            Object value)
                                     throws IllegalArgumentException

      Allows the user to set specific attributes on the underlying implementation.

      All implementations that implement JAXP 1.5 or newer are required to support the `XMLConstants.ACCESS_EXTERNAL_DTD` and `XMLConstants.ACCESS_EXTERNAL_SCHEMA` properties.

      - Setting the `XMLConstants.ACCESS_EXTERNAL_DTD` property restricts the access to external DTDs, external Entity References to the protocols specified by the property. If access is denied during parsing due to the restriction of this property, `SAXException` will be thrown by the parse methods defined by `DocumentBuilder`.

        Setting the `XMLConstants.ACCESS_EXTERNAL_SCHEMA` property restricts the access to external Schema set by the schemaLocation attribute to the protocols specified by the property. If access is denied during parsing due to the restriction of this property, `SAXException` will be thrown by the parse methods defined by `DocumentBuilder`.

      Parameters:
        `name` - The name of the attribute.
        `value` - The value of the attribute.
      Throws:
        `IllegalArgumentException` - thrown if the underlying implementation doesn't recognize the attribute.

    - #### getAttribute

          public abstract Object getAttribute(String name)
                                       throws IllegalArgumentException

      Allows the user to retrieve specific attributes on the underlying implementation.
      Parameters:
        `name` - The name of the attribute.
      Returns:
        value The value of the attribute.
      Throws:
        `IllegalArgumentException` - thrown if the underlying implementation doesn't recognize the attribute.

    - #### setFeature

          public abstract void setFeature(String name,
                                          boolean value)
                                   throws ParserConfigurationException

      Set a feature for this `DocumentBuilderFactory` and `DocumentBuilder`s created by this factory.

      Feature names are fully qualified `URI`s. Implementations may define their own features. A `ParserConfigurationException` is thrown if this `DocumentBuilderFactory` or the `DocumentBuilder`s it creates cannot support the feature. It is possible for a `DocumentBuilderFactory` to expose a feature value but be unable to change its state.

      All implementations are required to support the `XMLConstants.FEATURE_SECURE_PROCESSING` feature. When the feature is:

      - `true`: the implementation will limit XML processing to conform to implementation limits. Examples include enity expansion limits and XML Schema constructs that would consume large amounts of resources. If XML processing is limited for security reasons, it will be reported via a call to the registered `ErrorHandler.fatalError(SAXParseException exception)`. See `DocumentBuilder.setErrorHandler(org.xml.sax.ErrorHandler errorHandler)`.
      - `false`: the implementation will processing XML according to the XML specifications without regard to possible implementation limits.
      Parameters:
        `name` - Feature name.
        `value` - Is feature state `true` or `false`.
      Throws:
        `ParserConfigurationException` - if this `DocumentBuilderFactory` or the `DocumentBuilder`s it creates cannot support this feature.
        `NullPointerException` - If the `name` parameter is null.

    - #### getFeature

          public abstract boolean getFeature(String name)
                                      throws ParserConfigurationException

      Get the state of the named feature.

      Feature names are fully qualified `URI`s. Implementations may define their own features. An `ParserConfigurationException` is thrown if this `DocumentBuilderFactory` or the `DocumentBuilder`s it creates cannot support the feature. It is possible for an `DocumentBuilderFactory` to expose a feature value but be unable to change its state.

      Parameters:
        `name` - Feature name.
      Returns:
        State of the named feature.
      Throws:
        `ParserConfigurationException` - if this `DocumentBuilderFactory` or the `DocumentBuilder`s it creates cannot support this feature.

    - #### getSchema

          public Schema getSchema()

      Gets the `Schema` object specified through the `setSchema(Schema schema)` method.
      Returns:
        the `Schema` object that was last set through the `setSchema(Schema)` method, or null if the method was not invoked since a `DocumentBuilderFactory` is created.
      Throws:
        `UnsupportedOperationException` - When implementation does not override this method.
      Since:
        1.5

    - #### setSchema

          public void setSchema(Schema schema)

      Set the `Schema` to be used by parsers created from this factory.

      When a `Schema` is non-null, a parser will use a validator created from it to validate documents before it passes information down to the application.

      When errors are found by the validator, the parser is responsible to report them to the user-specified `ErrorHandler` (or if the error handler is not set, ignore them or throw them), just like any other errors found by the parser itself. In other words, if the user-specified `ErrorHandler` is set, it must receive those errors, and if not, they must be treated according to the implementation specific default error handling rules.

      A validator may modify the outcome of a parse (for example by adding default values that were missing in documents), and a parser is responsible to make sure that the application will receive modified DOM trees.

      Initialy, null is set as the `Schema`.

      This processing will take effect even if the `isValidating()` method returns `false`.

      It is an error to use the `http://java.sun.com/xml/jaxp/properties/schemaSource` property and/or the `http://java.sun.com/xml/jaxp/properties/schemaLanguage` property in conjunction with a `Schema` object. Such configuration will cause a `ParserConfigurationException` exception when the `newDocumentBuilder()` is invoked.

      #### Note for implmentors

      A parser must be able to work with any `Schema` implementation. However, parsers and schemas are allowed to use implementation-specific custom mechanisms as long as they yield the result described in the specification.

      Parameters:
        `schema` - `Schema` to use or `null` to remove a schema.
      Throws:
        `UnsupportedOperationException` - When implementation does not override this method.
      Since:
        1.5

    - #### setXIncludeAware

          public void setXIncludeAware(boolean state)

      Set state of XInclude processing.

      If XInclude markup is found in the document instance, should it be processed as specified in XML Inclusions (XInclude) Version 1.0.

      XInclude processing defaults to `false`.

      Parameters:
        `state` - Set XInclude processing to `true` or `false`
      Throws:
        `UnsupportedOperationException` - When implementation does not override this method.
      Since:
        1.5

    - #### isXIncludeAware

          public boolean isXIncludeAware()

      Get state of XInclude processing.

      Returns:
        current state of XInclude processing
      Throws:
        `UnsupportedOperationException` - When implementation does not override this method.
      Since:
        1.5

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