Re: sgml and "empty" closing tags

Alex Hunsaker <badalex@gmail.com> writes:
> While looking over the writable cte patch I noticed queries.sgml has
> lots of things in the form "<literal>FROM</>".  I tried various
> googles to see if </> is some kind of sgml/xml shorthand for close the
> last opened tag.  But alas, nothing found.  Bad google foo?

Apparently --- it's perfectly legal in SGML.  (I think not in XML.)

> Should we change those to be the right closing tag? aka </literal>

You'd be wasting your time.

I don't think it's good style to use </> when the opening tag is far
away or there are other tags between.  But for examples like the one
you cite, it's perfectly reasonable.
        regards, tom lane