diff --git a/cmXml.c b/cmXml.c
index 63596ea..19b0810 100644
--- a/cmXml.c
+++ b/cmXml.c
@@ -12,15 +12,99 @@
 #include "cmFile.h"
 #include "cmXml.h"
 
+/*
+file     -> decl doctype node
+decl     -> "<?" attr-list "?>"
+doctype  -> "<!DOCTYPE" dt-text ">"
+node     -> beg-node node-body end-node
+         |  "<!--" cmmt-text "-->"
+
+node-body -> data-text
+          |  node
+  
+beg-node   -> "<" tag-label  attr-list ">"
+end-node   -> "<" tag-label "/>"
+attr-list  -> attr*
+attr       -> attr-label "=" qstring
+
+attr-label -> A string of characters ending with an '=' or <space>.
+              Attribute labels may not contain '<' or '>'.
+
+tag-label  -> A string of characters ending with:
+                <space>, '>' or '/>'.
+              Tag labels may not contain '<' or '>'.
+
+data-text  -> A string of characters ending with '<'.
+
+dt-text    -> A string of characters beginning with a non-whitespace
+               and ending with '>'
+
+cmmt-text  -> A string of characters ending with '-->'
+
+*/  
+ 
 cmXmlH_t cmXmlNullHandle = cmSTATIC_NULL_HANDLE;
 
 typedef struct
 {
   cmErr_t      err;   // 
   cmLHeapH_t   heapH; // linked heap stores all node memory
+  cmLexH       lexH; 
   cmXmlNode_t* root;
 } cmXml_t;
 
+enum
+{
+  kTagBegLexTId = kUserLexTId+1,
+  kTagEndLexTId,
+  kDeclBegLexTId,
+  kDeclEndLexTId,
+  kSpclBegLexTId,
+  kDocTypeLexTId,
+  kCmmtBegLexTId,
+  kCmmtEndLexTId,
+  kEqualLexTId
+};
+
+cmXmlToken_t _cmXmlTokenArray[] = 
+{
+  { kTagBegLexTId = kUserLexId+1,  "<" },
+  { kTagEndLexTid,  ">" },
+  { kDeclBegLexTId, "<?" },
+  { kDeclEndLexTid, "?>" },
+  { kSpclBegLexTId, "<!" },
+  { kDocTypeLexTId, "<!DOCTYPE" },
+  { kCmmtBegLexTId, "<!--" },
+  { kCmmtEndLexTid, "-->" },
+  { kEqualLexTid,   "=" },
+  { kErrorLexTId,""}  
+};
+
+// Match a tag label.  
+// A string ending with a <space> or '>'
+unsigned cmLexTagLabelMatcher( const cmChar_t* cp, unsigned cn )
+{
+  for(i=0; i<cn; ++i)
+    if( cp[i] == '>' || isspace(cp[i]) )
+      break;
+  return i>0 ? i-1 : 0;  
+}
+
+unsigned cmLexStringMatcher( const cmChar_t* cp, unsigned cn )
+{
+  for(i=0; i<cn; ++i)
+  {
+    if( cp[i] == ' ')
+      break;
+    
+    if( cp[i] == '<' )
+      break;
+
+  }
+  return i>0 ?   
+}
+
+
 cmXml_t* _cmXmlHandleToPtr( cmXmlH_t h )
 {
   cmXml_t* p = (cmXml_t*)h.h;
@@ -30,9 +114,41 @@ cmXml_t* _cmXmlHandleToPtr( cmXmlH_t h )
 
 cmXmlRC_t _cmXmlFree( cmXml_t* p )
 {
-  // free the internal heap object
   cmLHeapDestroy( &p->heapH );
+  cmLexDestroy( &p->lexH );
+}
 
+cmXmlRC_t _cmXmlParse( cmXml_t* p, const cmChar_t* fn )
+{
+  cmXmlRC_t rc = kOkXmlRC;
+  
+  if( cmLexReset( p->lexH ) != kOkLexRC )
+  {
+    rc = cmErrMsg(&p->err,kLexErrXmlRC,"Lexer reset failed.");
+    goto errLabel:
+  }
+
+  if( cmLexSetFile( p->lexH, fn ) != kOkLexRC )
+  {
+    rc = cmErrMsg(&p->err,kLexErrXmlRC,"Lexer parse failed on '%s'.",cmStringNullGuard(fn));
+    goto errLabel;
+  }
+
+  unsigned tokId;
+  
+  while((tokId = cmLexGetNextToken( cmLexH h )) != kEofRC && tokId != kErrorLexTId )
+  {
+    switch(tokId)
+    {
+      case kTagBegLexTId:
+      case kTagEndLexTid:
+      case kEqualLexTId:
+      case kQStrLexTId:
+    }
+  }
+
+ errLabel:
+  return rc;
 }
 
 cmXmlRC_t cmXmlAlloc( cmCtx_t* ctx, cmXmlH_t* hp, const cmChar_t* fn )
@@ -41,7 +157,7 @@ cmXmlRC_t cmXmlAlloc( cmCtx_t* ctx, cmXmlH_t* hp, const cmChar_t* fn )
   cmXml_t*   p = NULL;
   
   // finalize before initialize 
-  if((rc = cmXmlFree(hp)) != kOkJsRC )
+  if((rc = cmXmlFree(hp)) != kOkXmlRC )
     return rc;
 
   // allocate the main object record
@@ -56,6 +172,24 @@ cmXmlRC_t cmXmlAlloc( cmCtx_t* ctx, cmXmlH_t* hp, const cmChar_t* fn )
     rc = cmErrMsg(&p->err,kMemAllocErrXmlRC,"Linked heap object allocation failed.");
     goto errLabel;
   }
+
+  // allocate the lexer
+  if(cmLexIsValid(p->lexH = cmLexInit(NULL,0,0,&ctx->rpt)) == false )
+  {
+    rc = cmErrMsg(&p->err,kLexErrXmlRC,"Lex allocation failed.");
+    goto errLabel;
+  }
+
+  // register xml specific tokens with the lexer
+  for(i=0; _cmXmlTokenArray[i].id != kErrorLexTId; ++i)
+  {
+    cmRC_t lexRC;
+    if( (lexRC = cmLexRegisterToken(p->lexH, _cmXmlTokenArray[i].id, _cmXmlTokenArray[i].text )) != kOkLexRC )
+    {
+      rc = cmErrMsg(&p->err,kLexErrXmlRC,"Lex token registration failed for:'%s'.",_cmXmlTokenArray[i].text );
+      goto errLabel;
+    }
+  }
   
   hp->h = p;
   
diff --git a/cmXml.h b/cmXml.h
index ee9211d..1b910c0 100644
--- a/cmXml.h
+++ b/cmXml.h
@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ extern "C" {
   {
     kOkXmlRC = cmOkRC,
     kMemAllocErrXmlRC,
-    kLHeapXmlRC
+    kLHeapXmlRC,
+    kLexErrXmlRC
   }; 
   
   typedef struct cmXmlAttr_str