PEPPOL-EN16931-R008: The file contains an empty element. How to fix it

What the rule checks

The rule checks the whole file: no element may be empty. An element counts as empty if it has no text and no child elements; an element holding only spaces counts as empty too. The rule names no particular field, but the validation report gives the location in the file. It comes from the Peppol rule set; XRechnung validation runs it as well.

Why files fail it

• Your software writes every field of its template into the file, even when it is not filled in. An empty optional field becomes an empty element instead of being left out.
• A mandatory field was left blank, such as the customer name, the invoice number, your own company name or the document type code. The validator often reports that field's own rule as well; for the customer name, BR-07.
• An element carries only an attribute, such as a scheme or a currency, but no value. For this rule it is still empty.
• A field holds nothing but a space, for example as a placeholder from a template. That counts as empty too.

How to fix it

1. 1Find the location the validation report gives for this message. The empty element is there, and its name tells you which field it is.
2. 2If the field is mandatory, fill it. Do not simply remove a mandatory field, or the file will fail the schema check instead.
3. 3If the field is optional and you have no value for it, leave the element out entirely. It may be absent; it may not be empty.
4. 4Here, an invoice is not produced if the invoice number, your company name or your customer's name is blank or only spaces. Every file we generate also goes through the same validation before it is handed out, and a file with this message is not handed out.