# GTR004 — Empty-element shorthand (fmt) **Contract:** behaviour-preserving. ## Claim Collapsing a whitespace-only leaf to `` is a no-op. ## Proof - For an element-only/empty content model, ws-only `.text` is layout (the GTR003 spec clause). - The rule **skips every schema-text-bearing element** (the derived payload guard, fmt §D20 — `schema_content.text_bearing_tags()` across all 28 XSDs): a ws-only body there may be verbatim payload (Galaxy reads ``/``/`` with `strip=False`). - **Context collision, derivation-surfaced:** `` is element-only under `` but `simpleContent` under `` (`ConfigInputs`) — payload only in the configfiles context (parent-tag check). ## Proof-carried exceptions (still collapsed) - ``: a whitespace-only help renders empty either way (fmt D18). - `` (legacy `xs:anyType`): Galaxy's loader harvests children then **clears the element** (`galaxy/util/xml_macros.py:39-45`) — its text is dead. ## History Refuted (content-bearing leaves) → denylist PR #113 → schema derivation fmt §D20 (found the configfiles-`` latent case).