---
title: "XamlName Grammar"
ms.date: "03/30/2017"
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "DottedXamlName grammar [XAML Services]"
  - "grammar [XAML Services], DottedXamlName"
  - "grammar [XAML Services], XamlName"
  - "names in XAML [XAML Services]"
  - "XamlName grammar [XAML Services]"
ms.assetid: 11e4cada-41d2-494d-9531-0d3df4dfcbe3
---
# XamlName Grammar

XamlName Grammar is a specific grammar that is defined in the XAML language specification [MS-XAML], which is reproduced here for convenience.

## From the XAML Specification

The [MS-XAML] specification defines the grammar XamlName to identify the set of legal symbolic identifiers used for types and properties.

String values that are of type XamlName must conform to the following grammar:

```xaml
XamlName ::= NameStartChar ( NameChar )*
NameStartChar ::= LetterCharacter | '_'
NameChar ::= NameStartChar | DecimalDigit | CombiningCharacter
LetterCharacter ::= UnicodeLu | UnicodeLl | UnicodeLo | UnicodeLt | UnicodeNl
DecimalDigit ::= UnicodeNd
CombiningCharacter ::= UnicodeMn | UnicodeMc
```

Which assumes the following general category values as defined in the Unicode Character Database

| Unicode category   | Description                   |
|--------------------|-------------------------------|
| Lu                 | Letter, Uppercase             |
| Ll                 | Letter, Lowercase             |
| Lt                 | Letter, Titlecase             |
| Lm                 | Letter, Modifier              |
| Lo                 | Letter, Other                 |
| Mn                 | Mark, Non-Spacing             |
| Mc                 | Mark, Spacing Combining       |
| Nd                 | Number, Decimal               |
| Nl                 | Number, Letter                |

XAML defines a second grammar, DottedXamlName, that is used for property and event qualified references, and also for attached members. For more information, see <xref:System.Windows.DependencyProperty> and [XAML Overview (WPF)](../net/wpf/fundamentals/xaml.md).

String values that are of type DottedXamlName must conform to the following grammar:

```xaml
DottedXamlName ::= XamlName '.' XamlName
```

## Remarks

For the complete specification, see [\[MS-XAML\]](https://docs.microsoft.com/previous-versions/msp-n-p/ff650760(v=pandp.10)).