DocBook: The Definitive Guide
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Para

Name

Para -- A paragraph

Synopsis

Mixed Content Model

Para ::=
((#PCDATA|FootnoteRef|XRef|Abbrev|Acronym|Citation|CiteRefEntry|
  CiteTitle|Emphasis|FirstTerm|ForeignPhrase|GlossTerm|Footnote|
  Phrase|Quote|Trademark|WordAsWord|Link|OLink|ULink|Action|
  Application|ClassName|Command|ComputerOutput|Database|Email|
  EnVar|ErrorCode|ErrorName|ErrorType|Filename|Function|GUIButton|
  GUIIcon|GUILabel|GUIMenu|GUIMenuItem|GUISubmenu|Hardware|
  Interface|InterfaceDefinition|KeyCap|KeyCode|KeyCombo|KeySym|
  Literal|Constant|Markup|MediaLabel|MenuChoice|MouseButton|
  MsgText|Option|Optional|Parameter|Prompt|Property|Replaceable|
  ReturnValue|SGMLTag|StructField|StructName|Symbol|SystemItem|
  Token|Type|UserInput|VarName|Anchor|Author|AuthorInitials|
  CorpAuthor|ModeSpec|OtherCredit|ProductName|ProductNumber|
  RevHistory|Comment|Subscript|Superscript|InlineGraphic|
  InlineMediaObject|InlineEquation|Synopsis|CmdSynopsis|
  FuncSynopsis|IndexTerm|CalloutList|GlossList|ItemizedList|
  OrderedList|SegmentedList|SimpleList|VariableList|Caution|
  Important|Note|Tip|Warning|LiteralLayout|ProgramListing|
  ProgramListingCO|Screen|ScreenCO|ScreenShot|Address|BlockQuote|
  Graphic|GraphicCO|MediaObject|MediaObjectCO|InformalEquation|
  InformalExample|InformalFigure|InformalTable|Equation|Example|
  Figure|Table)+)

Attributes

Common attributes

Tag Minimization

The start-tag is required for this element. The end-tag is optional, if your SGML declaration allows minimization.

Parameter Entities

%admon.mix;%bookcomponent.content;%component.mix;
%divcomponent.mix;%example.mix;%footnote.mix;
%glossdef.mix;%highlights.mix;%indexdivcomponent.mix;
%legalnotice.mix;%para.class;%qandaset.mix;
%refcomponent.mix;%sidebar.mix;%tabentry.mix;
%tbl.entry.mdl;%textobject.mix;

Description

A Para is a paragraph. Paragraphs in DocBook may contain almost all inlines and most block elements. Sectioning and higher-level structural elements are excluded. DocBook offers two variants of paragraph: SimPara, which cannot contain block elements, and FormalPara, which has a title.

Some processing systems may find the presence of block elements in a paragraph difficult to handle. On the other hand, it is frequently most logical, from a structural point of view, to include block elements, especially informal block elements, in the paragraphs that describe their content. There is no easy answer to this problem.

Processing expectations

Formatted as a displayed block.

(4.0) Future Changes

The InterfaceDefinition element will be discarded in DocBook V4.0. It will no longer be available in the content model of this element.

Parents

These elements contain Para: Abstract, Answer, Appendix, Article, AuthorBlurb, BiblioDiv, Bibliography, BlockQuote, Callout, Caption, Caution, Chapter, Colophon, Dedication, entry, Epigraph, Example, Footnote, FormalPara, Glossary, GlossDef, GlossDiv, Highlights, Important, Index, IndexDiv, InformalExample, LegalNotice, ListItem, MsgExplan, MsgText, Note, PartIntro, Preface, PrintHistory, Procedure, QandADiv, QandASet, Question, RefSect1, RefSect2, RefSect3, RefSynopsisDiv, Sect1, Sect2, Sect3, Sect4, Sect5, Section, SetIndex, Sidebar, SimpleSect, Step, TextObject, Tip, Warning.

Children

The following elements occur in Para: Abbrev, Acronym, Action, Address, Anchor, Application, Author, AuthorInitials, BlockQuote, CalloutList, Caution, Citation, CiteRefEntry, CiteTitle, ClassName, CmdSynopsis, Command, Comment, ComputerOutput, Constant, CorpAuthor, Database, Email, Emphasis, EnVar, Equation, ErrorCode, ErrorName, ErrorType, Example, Figure, Filename, FirstTerm, Footnote, FootnoteRef, ForeignPhrase, FuncSynopsis, Function, GlossList, GlossTerm, Graphic, GraphicCO, GUIButton, GUIIcon, GUILabel, GUIMenu, GUIMenuItem, GUISubmenu, Hardware, Important, IndexTerm, InformalEquation, InformalExample, InformalFigure, InformalTable, InlineEquation, InlineGraphic, InlineMediaObject, Interface, InterfaceDefinition, ItemizedList, KeyCap, KeyCode, KeyCombo, KeySym, Link, Literal, LiteralLayout, Markup, MediaLabel, MediaObject, MediaObjectCO, MenuChoice, ModeSpec, MouseButton, MsgText, Note, OLink, Option, Optional, OrderedList, OtherCredit, Parameter, Phrase, ProductName, ProductNumber, ProgramListing, ProgramListingCO, Prompt, Property, Quote, Replaceable, ReturnValue, RevHistory, Screen, ScreenCO, ScreenShot, SegmentedList, SGMLTag, SimpleList, StructField, StructName, Subscript, Superscript, Symbol, Synopsis, SystemItem, Table, Tip, Token, Trademark, Type, ULink, UserInput, VariableList, VarName, Warning, WordAsWord, XRef.

In some contexts, the following elements are allowed anywhere: BeginPage, IndexTerm.

In some contexts, the following elements are excluded: Acronym, Caution, Equation, Example, Figure, Footnote, Important, IndexTerm, InformalTable, Note, Table, Tip, Warning.

See Also

FormalPara, SimPara

Examples

Ordinary paragraphs can contain most block elements:

<!DOCTYPE para PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook V3.1//EN">
<para>
The component suffered from three failings:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>It was slow</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>It ran hot</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>It didn't actually work</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>
Of these three, the last was probably the most important.
</para>

The component suffered from three failings:

Of these three, the last was probably the most important.

<!DOCTYPE formalpara PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook V3.1//EN">
<formalpara><title>A Test</title>
<para>
This is a test.  This is only a test.  Had this been a real
example, it would have made more sense.
</para>
</formalpara>

A Test. This is a test. This is only a test. Had this been a real example, it would have made more sense.

<!DOCTYPE simpara PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook V3.1//EN">
<simpara>
Just the text, ma'am.
</simpara>

Just the text, ma'am.

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