diff --git a/iocBoot/NeXus_templates.xsd b/iocBoot/NeXus_templates.xsd
index 605d4cf..5ee491f 100755
--- a/iocBoot/NeXus_templates.xsd
+++ b/iocBoot/NeXus_templates.xsd
@@ -10,14 +10,24 @@
   ########### SVN repository information ###################
 -->
 
+<!--
+    Use of this XML Schema file is deprecated.
+    Instead, use the Schematron file:  template.sch
+    Schematron:
+        allows arbitrary element names
+        allows arbitrary UserGroup names
+        enforces one signal="1" attribute per NXdata group
+        cannot apply a regexp match for the allowed names
+      
+-->
+
 <!--  usage:
   xmllint - -noout - -schema /path1/NeXus_templates.xsd /path2/NX_template_file.xml
   (put the two minus signs together for the actual command, 
   XML can't have them together in an XML file, even in a comment!
   
-  TODO:  This XML Schema validates the example files as-written in areaDetector 
-  but is not sufficient for general use yet.
-  
+  Note:  This XML Schema validates the example files as-written in areaDetector 
+  but is not sufficient for general use.  It may be removed in future areaDetector releases.
 -->
 
 
diff --git a/iocBoot/template.sch b/iocBoot/template.sch
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..4f9eeb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/iocBoot/template.sch
@@ -0,0 +1,155 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+
+<!--
+    ########### SVN repository information ###################
+    # $Date$
+    # $Author$
+    # $Revision$
+    # $HeadURL$
+    # $Id$
+    ########### SVN repository information ###################
+-->
+
+<!--  usage:
+    xmllint - -schematron /path1/template.sch /path2/NX_template_file.xml
+    (put the two minus signs together for the actual command, 
+    XML can't have them together in an XML file, even in a comment!
+    
+    TODO:  under development
+-->
+
+<schema xmlns="http://purl.oclc.org/dsdl/schematron">
+    
+    <title>validate EPICS areaDetector NeXus template file</title>
+    
+    <!--  
+        RULES
+        ================
+        
+        + rule is implemented below
+        ~ rule is approximated below
+        ! rule is implied but not restricted
+        
+        
+        !Element names can be chosen by user (any)
+        ~group elements contain groups and datasets and have a name attribute or type="UserGroup" attribute
+        group names are either NeXus names or non-NeXus names
+        ~datasets contain optional Attr elements and optional constant text
+        datasets
+            +source  (required if type="ND_ATTR")
+            type
+            outtype
+        +NeXus template files have "NXroot" as the root element
+        +"NXentry" is the child element of "NXroot"
+        +Non-NeXus groups (does not start with "NX") must have a type="UserGroup" attribute
+        !Non-NeXus groups can be anywhere.
+        +Each NeXus group must have a "name" attribute
+        Each NXentry must have a unique name.
+        +Each NXentry must have a "NXdata" group.
+        +Each NXdata must have one and only one dataset with attribute signal="1"
+        For "name" attributes:
+            +must be less than 64 characters
+            ~each must match the NeXus regexp:  [A-Za-z_][\w_]*
+            each must be unique within the same HDF level
+            some NeXus group names are not yet known to areaDetector, so use type="UserGroup" attribute for them
+    -->
+    
+    <pattern id="name_regexp">
+        <!-- Validate the name rules -->
+        <rule context="*/@name">
+            <assert test="string-length(.)&lt;64">name attribute must be less than 64 characters</assert>
+            <report test="starts-with(.,'NX')">Do not start names with "NX" (reserved by NeXus)</report>
+            <!-- TODO: test regexp   [A-Za-z_][\w_]*  --> <!-- but cannot do in Schematron -->
+            <report test="starts-with(.,'0')">names must start with a letter or "_"</report>
+            <report test="starts-with(.,'1')">names must start with a letter or "_"</report>
+            <report test="starts-with(.,'2')">names must start with a letter or "_"</report>
+            <report test="starts-with(.,'3')">names must start with a letter or "_"</report>
+            <report test="starts-with(.,'4')">names must start with a letter or "_"</report>
+            <report test="starts-with(.,'5')">names must start with a letter or "_"</report>
+            <report test="starts-with(.,'6')">names must start with a letter or "_"</report>
+            <report test="starts-with(.,'7')">names must start with a letter or "_"</report>
+            <report test="starts-with(.,'8')">names must start with a letter or "_"</report>
+            <report test="starts-with(.,'9')">names must start with a letter or "_"</report>
+            <report test="starts-with(.,' ')">names must NOT start with whitespace</report>
+            <report test="contains(normalize-space(.),' ')">names must not contain a space</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'&amp;')">names must not contain a "&amp;"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'&gt;')">names must not contain a "&gt;"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'&lt;')">names must not contain a "&lt;"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'!')">names must not contain a "!"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'#')">names must not contain a "#"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'%')">names must not contain a "%"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'(')">names must not contain a "("</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,')')">names must not contain a ")"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'*')">names must not contain a "*"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'+')">names must not contain a "+"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,',')">names must not contain a ","</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'-')">names must not contain a "-"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'.')">names must not contain a "."</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'/')">names must not contain a "/"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,':')">names must not contain a ":"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,';')">names must not contain a ";"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'?')">names must not contain a "?"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'@')">names must not contain a "@"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'[')">names must not contain a "["</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'\')">names must not contain a "\"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,']')">names must not contain a "]"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'^')">names must not contain a "^"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'{')">names must not contain a "{"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'|')">names must not contain a "|"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'}')">names must not contain a "}"</report>
+            <report test="contains(.,'~')">names must not contain a "~"</report>
+        </rule>
+    </pattern>
+    
+    <pattern id="NeXus_root_element">
+        <!-- Ensure the document starts with /NXroot and has /NXroot/NXentry -->
+        <rule context="/NXroot">
+            <assert test="NXentry">/NXroot must contain at least one NXentry group</assert>
+        </rule>
+    </pattern> 
+    
+    <pattern id="NXentry_NXdata_requirements">
+        <!-- Ensure the document has /NXroot/NXentry/NXdata -->
+        <rule context="NXentry">
+            <assert test="NXdata">NXentry must contain at least one NXdata group</assert>
+        </rule>
+    </pattern>
+    
+    <pattern id="NXdata_requirements">
+        <!-- Ensure the NeXus default plottable data requirements -->
+        <rule context="NXdata">
+            <assert test="count(*[@type='pArray'])=1">
+                NXdata must contain one dataset with type="pArray" (image data)
+            </assert>
+            <assert test="*/Attr[@name='signal']=1">
+                NXdata must contain a dataset with attribute "signal"
+            </assert>
+            <!-- TODO: check that _only_ one dataset in NXdata has signal="1" attribute declared 
+                Suggest to use Muenchian technique, but key attribute not supported here.
+            -->
+        </rule>
+    </pattern>
+    
+    <pattern id="Attr_element">
+        <!-- EPICS areaDetector declares user attributes with an Attr element -->
+        <rule context="Attr">
+            <report test="@type='ND_ATTR' and count(@source)=0"> 
+                must provide a "source" attribute for ND_ATTR 
+            </report>
+            <report test="@source and @type!='ND_ATTR'">
+                must use type="ND_ATTR" when specifying a source
+            </report>
+            
+            <!-- TODO: just report the first (or last) occurence -->
+            <report test="not(starts-with(name(../..),'NX')) and string(../../@type)!='UserGroup'">
+                Group <value-of select="name(../..)"/> needs a type="UserGroup" attribute
+            </report>
+            
+            <!-- TODO: just report the first (or last) occurence -->
+            <report test="starts-with(name(../..),'NX') and count(../../@name)=0">
+                NeXus group <value-of select="name(../..)"/> must have a "name" attribute
+            </report>
+        </rule>
+    </pattern> 
+    
+</schema>
diff --git a/iocBoot/validateXML.sh b/iocBoot/validateXML.sh
index 5edf6dd..be67831 100755
--- a/iocBoot/validateXML.sh
+++ b/iocBoot/validateXML.sh
@@ -10,20 +10,19 @@
 
 # Validate the XML Attribute and Template files
 
+ATTRIBUTE_SCHEMA="--noout --schema ./attributes.xsd"
+#TEMPLATE_SCHEMA="--noout --schema ./NeXus_templates.xsd"
+TEMPLATE_SCHEMA="--noout --schematron ./template.sch"
 
 # NDArray Attribute declaration files
-xmllint --noout --schema ./attributes.xsd iocPerkinElmer/nexus_templates/PerkinElmerParams.xml
-xmllint --noout --schema ./attributes.xsd iocPilatus/pilatusAttributes.xml
-xmllint --noout --schema ./attributes.xsd iocProsilica/prosilicaAttributes.xml
-xmllint --noout --schema ./attributes.xsd iocSimDetector/ROIAttributes.xml
-xmllint --noout --schema ./attributes.xsd iocSimDetector/netCDFAttributes.xml
-xmllint --noout --schema ./attributes.xsd iocSimDetector/simDetectorAttributes.xml
+xmllint ${ATTRIBUTE_SCHEMA} iocPerkinElmer/nexus_templates/PerkinElmerParams.xml
+xmllint ${ATTRIBUTE_SCHEMA} iocPilatus/pilatusAttributes.xml
+xmllint ${ATTRIBUTE_SCHEMA} iocProsilica/prosilicaAttributes.xml
+xmllint ${ATTRIBUTE_SCHEMA} iocSimDetector/ROIAttributes.xml
+xmllint ${ATTRIBUTE_SCHEMA} iocSimDetector/netCDFAttributes.xml
+xmllint ${ATTRIBUTE_SCHEMA} iocSimDetector/simDetectorAttributes.xml
 
-# template files
+# NeXus file writer plugin template files
 #
-# cannot validate, no XML Schema developed yet
-#
-#iocPerkinElmer/nexus_templates/example.xml fails to validate
-#iocSimDetector/NexusTemplate.xml fails to validate
-xmllint --noout --schema ./NeXus_templates.xsd iocPerkinElmer/nexus_templates/example.xml
-xmllint --noout --schema ./NeXus_templates.xsd iocSimDetector/NexusTemplate.xml
+xmllint ${TEMPLATE_SCHEMA} iocPerkinElmer/nexus_templates/example.xml
+xmllint ${TEMPLATE_SCHEMA} iocSimDetector/NexusTemplate.xml