---
title: "Validate XML metadata file"
method: POST
path: "/datacatalog/api/metadata/validate"
tags: ["Metadata"]
---

# Validate XML metadata file

`POST /datacatalog/api/metadata/validate`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://data.usgs.gov` (the document declares no server; this is the origin it was published from)
- URL: `https://data.usgs.gov/datacatalog/api/metadata/validate`
- Auth: none declared

Validate an XML metadata file and retrieve a list of validation
errors or a successful validation message.

This tool uses the same logic as the SDC metadata harvester to check
for metadata issues. Failure of any check will result in the file
being rejected by the SDC when harvested from one of the USGS
repositories.

## Validation checks

---
### xml_valid
The file can be parsed, specifically by Python's standard library
xml.etree.ElementTree.fromstring() function.

Issues that can cause XML parsing to fail include a newline at the
beginning of the file or mismatched tags.

NOTE: A failure at this point will automatically result in all other
checks showing as failed.

Error message: `The file's XML is invalid.`

---
### title_present
The file contains a non-empty `title` element in the following location:

FGDC: `idinfo/citation/citeinfo/title`
ISO: `gmd:identificationInfo/gmd:MD_Data Identification/gmd:citation/gmd:CI_Citation/gmd:title/gco:CharacterString`

Error message: `The file is missing a title.`

---
### email_contact_present
The file contains a properly formatted email contact in the
following location:

FGDC: `metainfo/metc/cntinfo/cntemail`
ISO: `gmd:contact/gmd:CI_ResponsibleParty/gmd:contactInfo/gmd:CI_Contact/gmd:address/gmd:CI_Address/gmd:electronicMailAddress/gco:CharacterString`

We are using [python-email-validator](https://github.com/JoshData/python-email-validator).

Error message: `The file is missing a valid email contact.`

---
### mdate_present
The file contains a metadata date in the following location and
formats:

FGDC: `metainfo/metd` - 20210307, 202103, 2021
ISO: `gmd:dateStamp/gco:Date` - 2021-03-07, 20210307, 202103, 2021

Error message: `The file is missing an mdate.`

---
### pid_in_file
The file contains an identifier in the following location:

FGDC: `idinfo/keywords/theme/themekt/themekey`
 NOTE: `themekt` must have the value 'USGS Metadata Identifier'
ISO: `gmd:fileIdentifier/gco:CharacterString`

Error message: `The file is missing a PID.`

---
### pid_in_pir_db
The file's identifier was found in the
[PIR (Persistent Identifier Registry)](https://www1.usgs.gov/pir/api/docs/latest/#/Identifier/get_v1_pid__identifier_).

Error message: `The PID found in the file is not registered in the PIR database.`

---
### doi_present
The file contains a properly formatted DOI URL. The sources are
checked in the following order:

FGDC:
* 'onlink': `idinfo/citation/citeinfo/onlink`
* 'lworkcit': `idinfo/citation/citeinfo/lworkcit/citeinfo/onlink`
* 'networkr': `distinfo/stdorder/digform/digtopt/onlinopt/computer/networka/networkr`

ISO:
* 'onlink': `gmd:identificationInfo/gmd:MD_DataIdentification/gmd:citation/gmd:CI_Citation/gmd:identifier/gmd:MD_Identifier/gmd:code/gco:CharacterString`
* 'networkr': `gmd:distributionInfo/gmd:MD_Distribution/gmd:distributor/gmd:MD_Distributor/gmd:distributorTransferOptions/gmd:MD_DigitalTransferOptions/gmd:onLine/gmd:CI_OnlineResource/gmd:linkage/gmd:URL`

For 'onlinks', URLs are prioritized according to the following rules:
* USGS DOIs (those containing `10.5066`, such as `doi.org/10.5066/` and `doi.org/doi:10.5066`
* non-USGS DOIs (those containing `doi.org/`, `doi.org/doi:`, `doi:`)
* a URL with `usgs.gov/`

For 'lworkcit', only a USGS DOI will be saved.

For 'networkr', a USGS DOI will be stored if present. Otherwise, any valid URL will be saved.

We are using Pydantic's `AnyUrl` class to validate URLs.

Error message: `The file is missing a DOI.`

---
## Response

For a file with no validation errors, the API will return a response like the following:

```json
{
  "Success": "The file passed all validation checks."
}
```

A file with validation errors will have a response body like:
```json
{
  "Errors": [
    "The file is missing a PID.",
    "The PID found in the file is not registered in the PIR database."
  ]
}
```

## Request body `multipart/form-data`

- BodyValidateMetadataFileApiMetadataValidatePost
  - `file` string, binary, required

## Response `200`

Successful Response

- object

## Other responses

- `404`: Not found
- `422`: Validation Error

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/usgs/apis/usgs-science-data-catalog-api-documentation.md) - [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/usgs/apis/usgs-science-data-catalog-api-documentation/llms.txt) - [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/usgs/apis/usgs-science-data-catalog-api-documentation/revisions/f5f6a07ba13f?raw)