XML literal cannot appear here unless it is enclosed in parentheses
An XML literal declaration is used in an expression in a location that is ambiguous to the Visual Basic compiler. That is, the Visual Basic compiler cannot determine whether the less-than character (<) is intended as a comparative operator or the start of an XML literal. The following code provides an example:
[Visual Basic]
' Generates an error.
Dim queryResult = From element In elements _
Where <sample>Value</sample> = "Value" _
Select element
Error ID: BC31198
To correct this error
Enclose the XML literal declaration in parentheses, as shown in the following example:
Dim queryResult = From element In elements _ Where (<sample> Value</sample>) = "Value" _ Select element
Modify your code to refer to an existing XML literal, as shown in the following example:
Dim queryResult = From element In elements _ Where e.<sample>.Value = "Value" _ Select element