This contains a list of all current TC-approved elements, divided
up by module. It describes which are usually block elements and which are
usually inline, and lists which elements should typically be translated by
default.
Since the distinction between block and inline elements is ultimately
controlled by the container of the element and the processing associated with
it, the same element may be a block in one context and an inline element in
another. Specializing document types may vary this behavior according to the
needs of the document type being created, and the distinctions given below
are provided only as a guide to known behavior with the base DITA document
types.
Notes on the tables below
- For specializations, the second column gives the ancestor element, and
the third column gives a quick yes/no guide to indicate whether all behavior
is inherited. If something is not inherited, the change will appear in bold.
- For any specialization not listed below, the default should be to fall
back to the closest listed ancestor.
- The block/inline presentation column indicates whether the element is
formatted as a single block.
- The block/inline translation column indicates whether the element represents
a complete translatable segment. For example, the element <cmd> is presented
inline with other elements, but represents a complete translation segment.
- Items marked as block*** are blocks on their own, but may appear in the
middle of a segment. They should not break the flow of the current segment.
These are considered "subflow" elements for translation. We recommend that,
when possible, these elements should only be placed at sentence boundaries
to aid in translation.
- For all elements, the translate attribute will override the suggested
default translation setting. So, a translation setting of "yes" or "no" in
the table below does not guarantee that an element will always, or never,
be translated.
- If an element has translatable attributes, they are listed in the last
column. Note that the spectitle and specentry attributes are described with
a footnote.
- The keyword element (as well as derivations of keyword) is an inline,
phrase-like element when it appears in the body of a document. It may also
appear in the keywords element in topicmeta (for maps) or in the prolog (for
topic). When it appears in the <keywords> element, each keyword represents
an individual segment, and is not part of a larger segment; in that location,
keyword can be considered a "subflow" element.
topic elements
Element name |
Specialized from |
Block/Inline (presentation) |
Block/Inline (translation) |
Translatable content? |
Translatable attributes? |
abstract (New in DITA 1.1) |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
alt |
N/A |
block***1 |
block |
yes |
|
audience |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
author |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
body |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
boolean |
N/A |
inline |
inline |
n/a |
|
brand |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
category |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
cite |
N/A |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
colspec |
N/A |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
|
component |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
copyrholder |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
copyright |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
copyryear |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
created |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
critdates |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
data (New in DITA 1.1) |
N/A |
N/A (metadata) |
block |
no (likely to change for some specializations) |
|
data-about (New in DITA 1.1) |
N/A |
N/A (metadata) |
block |
no |
|
dd |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
ddhd |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
desc |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
dl |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
dlentry |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
dlhead |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
draft-comment |
N/A |
block***1 |
block |
no |
|
dt |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
dthd |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
entry |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
example |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
featnum |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
fig |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
figgroup |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
fn |
N/A |
block***1 |
block |
yes |
|
foreign (New in DITA 1.1) |
N/A |
block3 |
block3 |
no4 |
|
image |
N/A |
block when @placement= break, otherwise inline |
block when @placement= break, otherwise inline |
yes |
@alt5 |
index-base (New in DITA 1.1) |
N/A |
block***1 |
block |
yes |
|
indexterm |
N/A |
block***1 |
block |
yes |
|
indextermref |
N/A |
inline |
n/a |
n/a |
|
itemgroup |
N/A |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
keyword |
N/A |
inline |
inline (except when within <keywords> – see note above the table) |
yes |
|
keywords |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
li |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
lines |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
link |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
linkinfo |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
linklist |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
linkpool |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
linktext |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
lq |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@reftitle |
metadata |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
navtitle |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
no-topic-nesting |
N/A |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
|
note |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@othertype, @spectitle2 |
object |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@standby |
ol |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
othermeta |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
@content |
p |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
param |
N/A |
block |
block |
n/a |
|
permissions |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
ph |
N/A |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
platform |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
pre |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
prodinfo |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
prodname |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
prognum |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
prolog |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
publisher |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
q |
N/A |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
related-links |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
required-cleanup |
N/A |
block***1 |
block |
no |
|
resourceid |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
revised |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
row |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
searchtitle |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
section |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
series |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
shortdesc |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
simpletable |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
sl |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
sli |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
source |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
state |
N/A |
inline |
inline |
yes |
@value |
stentry |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@specentry2 |
sthead |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
strow |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
table |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
tbody |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
term |
N/A |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
tgroup |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
thead |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
title |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
titlealts |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
tm |
N/A |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
topic |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
ul |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
unknown (New in DITA 1.1) |
N/A |
block |
block |
no |
|
vrm |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
vrmlist |
N/A |
block (metadata) |
block |
yes |
|
xref |
N/A |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
map elements
Element name |
Specialized from |
Block/Inline (presentation) |
Block/Inline (translation) |
Translatable content? |
Translatable attributes? |
anchor |
N/A |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
|
linktext |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
map |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@title |
navref |
N/A |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
|
relcell |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
relcolspec |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
relheader |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
relrow |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
reltable |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
searchtitle |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
shortdesc |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
topicmeta |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
|
topicref |
N/A |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
bookmap elements (new in DITA 1.1)
The bookmap
specialization contains many phrase-based elements inside the bookmeta. These
are metadata, and should not be translated.
Element name |
Specialized from |
Inherits everything from ancestor? |
Block/Inline (presentation) |
Block/Inline (translation) |
Translatable content? |
Translatable attributes? |
abbrevlist |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
amendments |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
appendix |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
approved |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
backmatter |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
bibliolist |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
bookabstract |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
bookchangehistory |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
bookevent |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
bookeventtype |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
bookid |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
booklibrary |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
booklist |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
booklists |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
bookmap |
map |
no |
block |
block |
yes |
removed title attribute |
bookmeta |
topicmeta |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
booknumber |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
bookowner |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
bookpartno |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
bookrestriction |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
bookrights |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
booktitle |
title |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
booktitlealt |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
chapter |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
colophon |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
completed |
ph |
no |
inline |
inline |
no |
|
copyrfirst |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
copyrlast |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
day |
ph |
no |
inline |
inline |
no |
|
dedication |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
draftintro |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
edited |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
edition |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
figurelist |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
frontmatter |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
glossarylist |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
indexlist |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
isbn |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
mainbooktitle |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
maintainer |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
month |
ph |
no |
inline |
inline |
no |
|
notices |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
organization |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
part |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
person |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
preface |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
printlocation |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
published |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
publisherinformation |
publisher |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
publishtype |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
reviewed |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
revisionid |
ph |
no |
inline |
inline |
no |
|
started |
ph |
no |
inline |
inline |
no |
|
summary |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
tablelist |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
tested |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
toc |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
trademarklist |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
volume |
data |
yes |
block |
block |
no |
|
year |
ph |
no |
inline |
inline |
no |
|
concept elements
Element name |
Specialized from |
Inherits everything from ancestor? |
Block/Inline (presentation) |
Block/Inline (translation) |
Translatable content? |
Translatable attributes? |
conbody |
body |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
concept |
topic |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
glossary elements (new in DITA 1.1)
Element name |
Specialized from |
Inherits everything from ancestor? |
Block/Inline (presentation) |
Block/Inline (translation) |
Translatable content? |
Translatable attributes? |
glossdef |
abstract |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
glossentry |
topic |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
reference elements
Element name |
Specialized from |
Inherits everything from ancestor? |
Block/Inline (presentation) |
Block/Inline (translation) |
Translatable content? |
Translatable attributes? |
propdesc |
stentry |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@specentry2 |
propdeschd |
stentry |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@specentry2 |
properties |
simpletable |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
property |
strow |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
prophead |
sthead |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
proptype |
stentry |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@specentry2 |
proptypehd |
stentry |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@specentry2 |
propvalue |
stentry |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@specentry2 |
propvaluehd |
stentry |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@specentry2 |
refbody |
body |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
reference |
topic |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
refsyn |
section |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
task elements
Element name |
Specialized from |
Inherits everything from ancestor? |
Block/Inline (presentation) |
Block/Inline (translation) |
Translatable content? |
Translatable attributes? |
chdesc |
stentry |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@specentry2 |
chdeschd |
stentry |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@specentry2 |
chhead |
sthead |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
choice |
li |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
choices |
ul |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
removes @spectitle |
choicetable |
simpletable |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
choption |
stentry |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@specentry2 |
choptionhd |
stentry |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@specentry2 |
chrow |
strow |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
cmd |
ph |
NO |
inline |
block |
yes |
|
context |
section |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
removes @spectitle |
info |
itemgroup |
NO |
inline |
block |
yes |
|
postreq |
section |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
removes @spectitle |
prereq |
section |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
removes @spectitle |
result |
section |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
removes @spectitle |
step |
li |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
stepresult |
itemgroup |
NO |
inline |
block |
yes |
|
steps |
ol |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
removes @spectitle |
steps-unordered |
ul |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
removes @spectitle |
stepxmp |
itemgroup |
NO |
inline |
block |
yes |
|
substep |
li |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
substeps |
ol |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
removes @spectitle |
task |
topic |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
taskbody |
body |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
tutorialinfo |
itemgroup |
NO |
inline |
block |
yes |
|
hi-d elements (highlight domain)
Element name |
Specialized from |
Inherits everything from ancestor? |
Block/Inline (presentation) |
Block/Inline (translation) |
Translatable content? |
Translatable attributes? |
b |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
i |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
sub |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
sup |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
tt |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
u |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
indexing-d elements (indexing domain) (new in DITA 1.1)
Element name |
Specialized from |
Inherits everything from ancestor? |
Block/Inline (presentation) |
Block/Inline (translation) |
Translatable content? |
Translatable attributes? |
index-see |
index-base |
yes |
block***1 |
block |
yes |
|
index-see-also |
index-base |
yes |
block***1 |
block |
yes |
|
index-sort-as |
index-base |
yes |
block***1 |
block |
yes |
|
pr-d elements (programming domain)
Element name |
Specialized from |
Inherits everything from ancestor? |
Block/Inline (presentation) |
Block/Inline (translation) |
Translatable content? |
Translatable attributes? |
apiname |
keyword |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
codeblock |
pre |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
codeph |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
delim |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
fragment |
figgroup |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
fragref |
xref |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
groupchoice |
figgroup |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
groupcomp |
figgroup |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
groupseq |
figgroup |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
kwd |
keyword |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
oper |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
option |
keyword |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
parml |
dl |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
parmname |
keyword |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
pd |
dd |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
plentry |
dlentry |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
pt |
dt |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
repsep |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
sep |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
synblk |
figgroup |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
synnote |
fn |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
synnoteref |
xref |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
synph |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
syntaxdiagram |
fig |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
removes @spectitle |
var |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
sw-d elements (software domain)
Element name |
Specialized from |
Inherits everything from ancestor? |
Block/Inline (presentation) |
Block/Inline (translation) |
Translatable content? |
Translatable attributes? |
cmdname |
keyword |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
filepath |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
msgblock |
pre |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
msgnum |
keyword |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
msgph |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
systemoutput |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
userinput |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
varname |
keyword |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
ui-d elements (UI domain)
Element name |
Specialized from |
Inherits everything from ancestor? |
Block/Inline (presentation) |
Block/Inline (translation) |
Translatable content? |
Translatable attributes? |
menucascade |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
screen |
pre |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@spectitle2 |
shortcut |
keyword |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
uicontrol |
ph |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
wintitle |
keyword |
yes |
inline |
inline |
yes |
|
ut-d elements (Utilities domain)
Element name |
Specialized from |
Inherits everything from ancestor? |
Block/Inline (presentation) |
Block/Inline (translation) |
Translatable content? |
Translatable attributes? |
area |
figgroup |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
|
coords |
ph |
NO |
inline |
inline |
no |
|
imagemap |
fig |
yes |
block |
block |
yes (can contain translatable alternate text) |
@spectitle2 |
shape |
keyword |
NO |
inline |
inline |
no |
|
mapgroup-d elements (mapgroup domain)
Element name |
Specialized from |
Inherits everything from ancestor? |
Block/Inline (presentation) |
Block/Inline (translation) |
Translatable content? |
Translatable attributes? |
topicgroup |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
topichead |
topicref |
yes |
block |
block |
yes |
@navtitle |
xnal-d elements (XNAL domain) (new in DITA 1.1)
The
XNAL information is all metadata, so it generally does not need to be translated.
Exceptions may be needed when selections from this metadata are used for display
purposes. The standard behavior may need to change based on local business
rules. For example, in some cases it may be appropriate to translate the honorific,
country, or organizationname elements.
Element name |
Specialized from |
Inherits everything from ancestor? |
Block/Inline (presentation) |
Block/Inline (translation) |
Translatable content? |
Translatable attributes? |
addressdetails |
ph |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
administrativearea |
ph |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
authorinformation |
author |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
contactnumber |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
contactnumbers |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
country |
ph |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
emailaddress |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
emailaddresses |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
firstname |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
generationidentifier |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
honorific |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
lastname |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
locality |
ph |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
localityname |
ph |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
middlename |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
namedetails |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
organizationinfo |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
organizationname |
ph |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
organizationnamedetails |
ph |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
otherinfo |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
personinfo |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
personname |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
postalcode |
ph |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
thoroughfare |
ph |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
url |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
urls |
data |
no |
block |
block |
no |
|
1 This element is considered a "subflow"
element for translation. If it is located in the middle of a translation segment,
it should not be translated as part of that segment. For example, indexterm,
fn, and draft-comment may divide a sentence in two, but should be treated
as blocks, and should not interrupt the sentence.
2 The spectitle and specentry attributes can
contain translatable text. The direct use of fixed-in-the-DTD text by tools
is discouraged, in favor of using the value as a lookup string to find the
translation outside of the file, using accepted localization methods for generated
text.
4 The desc,
object, and image elements inside <foreign> should still be translatable;
they provide an alternative display if the foreign content cannot be processed