Sample product catalogue XML with namespaces and CDATA

Why test with this file

Exercises the parts of XML that simple string-based parsers get wrong.

What to check

After your application has processed sample-product-catalog.xml, confirm that:

• Elements in the inventory namespace are found by namespace, not by prefix.
• The CDATA note is returned as literal text, with its angle brackets intact.
• The empty stock element and the processing instruction do not break the parser.

How the file begins

The opening lines of sample-product-catalog.xml, exactly as they appear in the file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?sample-instruction keep="true"?>
<!-- A sample catalogue for parser testing -->
<catalog xmlns="https://example.com/ns/catalog" xmlns:inv="https://example.com/ns/inventory" generated="2026-01-01">
  <product id="P-100">
    <name>Standard widget</name>
    <price currency="USD">4.50</price>
    <inv:stock unit="each">120</inv:stock>
    <note>A plain widget &amp; nothing more.</note>
  </product>
  <product id="P-200">
    <name>Large widget</name>
    <price currency="USD">9.75</price>
    <inv:stock unit="each">40</inv:stock>

Technical details

Validated for expected format and integrity. As with any download, scan the file with your own security tools before opening it. How files are made and checked

Download from the command line and verify

Fetch the file with curl, then compare its checksum with the SHA-256 value above.

curl -o sample-product-catalog.xml 'https://sampletestfiles.com/downloads/samples/sample-product-catalog.xml'
sha256sum sample-product-catalog.xml     # Linux
shasum -a 256 sample-product-catalog.xml # macOS

On Windows, run Get-FileHash sample-product-catalog.xml -Algorithm SHA256 in PowerShell. A matching value proves that the download is complete and unaltered.

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