http://java.sun.com/xml/jaxp/dist/1.1/docs/tutorial/overview/1_xml.html Since identifying the data gives you some sense of what means (how to interpret it, what you should do with it), ... A word is missing. You need to insert "it" before "means". http://java.sun.com/xml/jaxp/dist/1.1/docs/tutorial/overview/3_apis.html ... an instance of the SAXParserFactory classed is used ... The suffix "ed" in "classed" is wrong and should be deleted. http://java.sun.com/xml/jaxp/dist/1.1/docs/tutorial/sax/work/Echo01.java (and same code in main text that refers to this listing:) public void endElement(String namespaceURI, String sName, // simple name String qName // qualified name ) throws SAXException { emit(""); } The code fails to handle the case where sName is empty because all the info is in qName. See code for startElement which is correct.