title: XML: when lacking data, leave element empty or not include element at all?
body: <p>I'm storing XML of street addresses in a database that is read by a silverlight app. This XML is my own format, so I get to decide the standard for element names, how to handle missing data etc.</p>
  
  <p>I was wondering what would be the more "correct" way to deal with empty "address 2" fields when generating the XML - should I still include an "address2" element and simply let it be <code>&lt;address2 /&gt;</code> or should I omit it altogether? The same goes for the "state" field, since it's usually empty if it's a non-US address.</p>
  
  <p>I can handle either case in the silverlight app, but I just need to decide on one standard. I wasn't sure if one approach had pitfalls or if it was completely a matter of preference.</p>
  
  <p>Thanks!</p>
  
  <p>P.S.  I know having "address 1", "address 2" etc. isn't necessarily the best design in the first place, but that's the way the existing data is and I can't change it.</p>