DocBook 5.0: The Definitive Guide

by Norman Walsh
With contributions from Leonard Muellner
Version 0.0.12 for DocBook V5.0b1
Updated: Tue, 01 Nov 2005

Table of Contents

Preface

Why Read This Book?
This Book's Audience
Organization of This Book
Conventions Used in This Book
Getting This Book
Getting Examples from This Book
Getting DocBook
Request for Comments
Acknowledgements from Norm
Acknowledgements from Lenny
Acknowledgements from Norm and Lenny

I. Introduction

1. Getting Started with XML

How Does DocBook Fit In?

2. Creating DocBook Documents

Making an XML Document
Public Identifiers, System Identifiers, and Catalog Files
Physical Divisions: Breaking a Document into Physical Chunks
Logical Divisions: The Categories of Elements in DocBook
Making a DocBook Book
Making a Chapter
Making an Article
Making a Reference Page
Making Front- and Backmatter

3. Parsing DocBook Documents

4. Publishing DocBook Documents

A Survey of Stylesheet Languages
Using Jade and DSSSL to Publish DocBook Documents
Using XSL to Publish DocBook Documents

5. Customizing DocBook

Should You Do This?
If You Change DocBook, It's Not DocBook Anymore!
Customization Layers

II. Reference

I. DocBook Element Reference

abbrev - An abbreviation, especially one followed by a period
abstract - A summary
accel - A graphical user interface (GUI) keyboard shortcut
ackno - Acknowledgements in an Article
acronym - An often pronounceable word made from the initial (or selected) letters of a name or phrase
address - A real-world address, generally a postal address
affiliation - The institutional affiliation of an individual
alt - A text-only annotation, often used for accessibility
anchor - A spot in the document
annotation - An annotation
answer - An answer to a question posed in a QandASet
mml:* - Any element from the MathML namespace
svg:* - Any element from the SVG namespace
*:* - Any element from any namespace except the DocBook namespace
appendix - An appendix in a Book or Article
application - The name of a software program
arc - An XLink arc in an extendedlink
area - A region defined for a Callout in a graphic or code example
areaset - A set of related areas in a graphic or code example
areaspec - A collection of regions in a graphic or code example
arg - An argument in a CmdSynopsis
article - An article
artpagenums - The page numbers of an article as published
attribution - The source of a block quote or epigraph
audiodata - Pointer to external audio data
audioobject - A wrapper for audio data and its associated meta-information
author - The name of an individual author
authorgroup - Wrapper for author information when a document has multiple authors or collabarators
authorinitials - The initials or other short identifier for an author
bibliocoverage - The spatial or temporal coverage of a document
bibliodiv - A section of a Bibliography
biblioentry - An entry in a Bibliography
bibliography - A bibliography
biblioid - An identifier for a document
bibliolist - A wrapper for a list of bibliography entries
bibliomisc - Untyped bibliographic information
bibliomixed - An entry in a Bibliography
bibliomset - A cooked container for related bibliographic information
biblioref - A cross-reference to a bibliographic entry
bibliorelation - The relationship of a document to another
biblioset - A raw container for related bibliographic information
bibliosource - The source of a document
blockquote - A quotation set off from the main text
book - A book
bridgehead - A free-floating heading
callout - A called out description of a marked Area
calloutlist - A list of callout s
caption (db.caption) - A caption
caption (db.html.caption) - A caption
caution - A note of caution
chapter - A chapter, as of a book
citation - An inline bibliographic reference to another published work
citebiblioid - A citation of a bibliographic identifier
citerefentry - A citation to a reference page
citetitle - The title of a cited work
city - The name of a city in an address
classname - The name of a class, in the object-oriented programming sense
classsynopsis - The syntax summary for a class definition
classsynopsisinfo - Information supplementing the contents of a ClassSynopsis
cmdsynopsis - A syntax summary for a software command
co - The location of a callout embedded in text
code - An inline code fragment
col - Specifications for a column in an HTML table
colgroup - A group of columns in an HTML table
collab - Identifies a collaborator
colophon - Text at the back of a book describing facts about its production
colspec - Specifications for a column in a table
command - The name of an executable program or other software command
computeroutput - Data, generally text, displayed or presented by a computer
confdates - The dates of a conference for which a document was written
confgroup - A wrapper for document meta-information about a conference
confnum - An identifier, frequently numerical, associated with a conference for which a document was written
confsponsor - The sponsor of a conference for which a document was written
conftitle - The title of a conference for which a document was written
constant - A programming or system constant
constraint - A constraint in an EBNF production
constraintdef - The definition of a constraint in an EBNF production
constructorsynopsis - A syntax summary for a constructor
contractnum - The contract number of a document
contractsponsor - The sponsor of a contract
contrib - A summary of the contributions made to a document by a credited source
copyright - Copyright information about a document
coref - A cross reference to a co
country - The name of a country
database - The name of a database, or part of a database
date - The date of publication or revision of a document
dedication - A wrapper for the dedication section of a book
destructorsynopsis - A syntax summary for a destructor
edition - The name or number of an edition of a document
editor - The name of the editor of a document
email - An email address
emphasis (db._emphasis) - A limited span of emphasized text
emphasis (db.emphasis) - Emphasized text
entry - A cell in a table
entrytbl - A subtable appearing in place of an Entry in a table
envar - A software environment variable
epigraph - A short inscription at the beginning of a document or component
equation - A displayed mathematical equation
errorcode - An error code
errorname - An error name
errortext - An error message.
errortype - The classification of an error message
example - A formal example, with a title
exceptionname - The name of an exception
extendedlink - An XLink extended link
fax - A fax number
fieldsynopsis - The name of a field in a class definition
figure - A formal figure, generally an illustration, with a title
filename - The name of a file
firstname - The first name of a person
firstterm - The first occurrence of a term
footnote - A footnote
footnoteref - A cross reference to a footnote (a footnote mark)
foreignphrase - A word or phrase in a language other than the primary language of the document
formalpara - A paragraph with a title
funcdef - A function (subroutine) name and its return type
funcparams - Parameters for a function referenced through a function pointer in a synopsis
funcprototype - The prototype of a function
funcsynopsis - The syntax summary for a function definition
funcsynopsisinfo - Information supplementing the FuncDefs of a FuncSynopsis
function - The name of a function or subroutine, as in a programming language
glossary - A glossary
glossdef - A definition in a GlossEntry
glossdiv - A division in a Glossary
glossentry - An entry in a Glossary or GlossList
glosslist - A wrapper for a list of glossary entries
glossseealso - A cross-reference from one GlossEntry to another
glosssee - A cross-reference from one GlossEntry to another
glossterm - A glossary term
group - A group of elements in a CmdSynopsis
guibutton - The text on a button in a GUI
guiicon - Graphic and/or text appearing as a icon in a GUI
guilabel - The text of a label in a GUI
guimenu - The name of a menu in a GUI
guimenuitem - The name of a terminal menu item in a GUI
guisubmenu - The name of a submenu in a GUI
hardware - A physical part of a computer system
holder - The name of the individual or organization that holds a copyright
honorific - The title of a person
html:button - A button in an HTML form
html:fieldset - A fieldset element in an HTML form
html:form - An HTML form
html:input - An input element in an HTML form
html:label - A label in an HTML form
html:legend - A legend in an HTML form fieldset
html:option - An option element in an HTML form
html:select - A select element in an HTML form
html:textarea - A textarea element in an HTML form
imagedata - Pointer to external image data
imageobjectco - A wrapper for an image object with callouts
imageobject - A wrapper for image data and its associated meta-information
important - An admonition set off from the text
index - An index to a book or part of a book
indexdiv - A division in an index
indexentry - An entry in an index
indexterm (db.indexterm.endofrange) - Identifies the end of a range associated with an indexed term
indexterm (db.indexterm.singular) - A wrapper for an indexed term
indexterm (db.indexterm.startofrange) - A wrapper for an indexed term that covers a range
info (db.info) - A wrapper for information about a component or other block
info (db.titleforbidden.info) - A wrapper for information about a component or other block without a title
info (db.titleonly.info) - A wrapper for information about a component or other block with only a title
info (db.titleonlyreq.info) - A wrapper for information about a component or other block with only a required title
info (db.titlereq.info) - A wrapper for information about a component or other block with a required title
informalequation - A displayed mathematical equation without a title
informalexample - A displayed example without a title
informalfigure - A untitled figure
informaltable (db.cals.informaltable) - A table without a title
informaltable (db.html.informaltable) - A table without a title
initializer - The initializer for a FieldSynopsis
inlineequation - A mathematical equation or expression occurring inline
inlinemediaobject - An inline media object (video, audio, image, and so on)
interfacename - The name of an interface
issuenum - The number of an issue of a journal
itemizedlist - A list in which each entry is marked with a bullet or other dingbat
itermset - A set of index terms in the meta-information of a document
jobtitle - The title of an individual in an organization
keycap - The text printed on a key on a keyboard
keycode - The internal, frequently numeric, identifier for a key on a keyboard
keycombo - A combination of input actions
keysym - The symbolic name of a key on a keyboard
keyword - One of a set of keywords describing the content of a document
keywordset - A set of keywords describing the content of a document
label - A label on a Question or Answer
legalnotice - A statement of legal obligations or requirements
lhs - The left-hand side of an EBNF production
lineage - The portion of a person's name indicating a relationship to ancestors
lineannotation - A comment on a line in a verbatim listing
link - A hypertext link
listitem - A wrapper for the elements of a list item
literal - Inline text that is some literal value
literallayout - A block of text in which line breaks and white space are to be reproduced faithfully
locator - An XLink locator in an extendedlink
manvolnum - A reference volume number
markup - A string of formatting markup in text that is to be represented literally
mathphrase - A mathematical phrase, an expression that can be represented with ordinary text and a small amount of markup
mediaobject - A displayed media object (video, audio, image, etc.)
member - An element of a simple list
menuchoice - A selection or series of selections from a menu
methodname - The name of a method
methodparam - Parameters to a method
methodsynopsis - A syntax summary for a method
modifier - Modifiers in a synopsis
mousebutton - The conventional name of a mouse button
msgaud - The audience to which a message in a message set is relevant
msg - A message in a message set
msgentry - A wrapper for an entry in a message set
msgexplan - Explanatory material relating to a message in a message set
msginfo - Information about a message in a message set
msglevel - The level of importance or severity of a message in a message set
msgmain - The primary component of a message in a message set
msgorig - The origin of a message in a message set
msgrel - A related component of a message in a message set
msgset - A detailed set of messages, usually error messages
msgsub - A subcomponent of a message in a message set
msgtext - The actual text of a message component in a message set
nonterminal - A non-terminal in an EBNF production
note - A message set off from the text
olink - A link that addresses its target indirectly
ooclass - A class in an object-oriented programming language
ooexception - An exception in an object-oriented programming language
oointerface - An interface in an object-oriented programming language
optional - Optional information
option - An option for a software command
orderedlist - A list in which each entry is marked with a sequentially incremented label
orgdiv - A division of an organization
orgname - The name of an organization other than a corporation
otheraddr - Uncategorized information in address
othercredit - A person or entity, other than an author or editor, credited in a document
othername - A component of a persons name that is not a first name, surname, or lineage
package - A software or application package
pagenums - The numbers of the pages in a book, for use in a bibliographic entry
para - A paragraph
paramdef - Information about a function parameter in a programming language
parameter - A value or a symbolic reference to a value
part - A division in a book
partintro - An introduction to the contents of a part
personblurb - A short description or note about a person
personname - The personal name of an individual
phone - A telephone number
phrase (db._phrase) - A limited span of text
phrase (db.phrase) - A span of text
pob - A post office box in an address
postcode - A postal code in an address
preface - Introductory matter preceding the first chapter of a book
primary - The primary word or phrase under which an index term should be sorted
primaryie - A primary term in an index entry, not in the text
printhistory - The printing history of a document
procedure - A list of operations to be performed in a well-defined sequence
production - A production in a set of EBNF productions
productionrecap - A cross-reference to an EBNF production
productionset - A set of EBNF productions
productname - The formal name of a product
productnumber - A number assigned to a product
programlistingco - A program listing with associated areas used in callouts
programlisting - A literal listing of all or part of a program
prompt - A character or string indicating the start of an input field in a computer display
property - A unit of data associated with some part of a computer system
pubdate - The date of publication of a document
publisher - The publisher of a document
publishername - The name of the publisher of a document
qandadiv - A titled division in a QandASet
qandaentry - A question/answer set within a QandASet
qandaset - A question-and-answer set
question - A question in a QandASet
quote - An inline quotation
refclass - The scope or other indication of applicability of a reference entry
refdescriptor - A description of the topic of a reference page
refentry - A reference page (originally a UNIX man-style reference page)
refentrytitle - The title of a reference page
reference - A collection of reference entries
refmeta - Meta-information for a reference entry
refmiscinfo - Meta-information for a reference entry other than the title and volume number
refname - The name of (one of) the subject(s) of a reference page
refnamediv - The name, purpose, and classification of a reference page
refpurpose - A short (one sentence) synopsis of the topic of a reference page
refsect1 - A major subsection of a reference entry
refsect2 - A subsection of a refsect1
refsect3 - A subsection of a refsect2
refsection - A recursive section in a refentry
refsynopsisdiv - A syntactic synopsis of the subject of the reference page
releaseinfo - Information about a particular release of a document
remark - A remark (or comment) intended for presentation in a draft manuscript
replaceable - Content that may or must be replaced by the user
returnvalue - The value returned by a function
revdescription - A extended description of a revision to a document
revhistory - A history of the revisions to a document
revision - An entry describing a single revision in the history of the revisions to a document
revnumber - A document revision number
revremark - A description of a revision to a document
rhs - The right-hand side of an EBNF production
row (db.entrytbl.row) - A row in a table
row (db.row) - A row in a table
sbr - An explicit line break in a command synopsis
screenco - A screen with associated areas used in callouts
screen - Text that a user sees or might see on a computer screen
screenshot - A representation of what the user sees or might see on a computer screen
secondary - A secondary word or phrase in an index term
secondaryie - A secondary term in an index entry, rather than in the text
sect1 - A top-level section of document
sect2 - A subsection within a Sect1
sect3 - A subsection within a Sect2
sect4 - A subsection within a Sect3
sect5 - A subsection within a Sect4
section - A recursive section
seealso - Part of an index term directing the reader also to another entry in the index
seealsoie - A See also entry in an index, rather than in the text
see - Part of an index term directing the reader instead to another entry in the index
seeie - A See entry in an index, rather than in the text
seg - An element of a list item in a segmented list
seglistitem - A list item in a segmented list
segmentedlist - A segmented list, a list of sets of elements
segtitle - The title of an element of a list item in a segmented list
seriesvolnums - Numbers of the volumes in a series of books
set - A collection of books
setindex - An index to a set of books
shortaffil - A brief description of an affiliation
shortcut - A key combination for an action that is also accessible through a menu
sidebar - A portion of a document that is isolated from the main narrative flow
simpara - A paragraph that contains only text and inline markup, no block elements
simplelist - An undecorated list of single words or short phrases
simplemsgentry - A wrapper for a simpler entry in a message set
simplesect - A section of a document with no subdivisions
spanspec - Formatting information for a spanned column in a table
state - A state or province in an address
stepalternatives - Alternative steps in a procedure
step - A unit of action in a procedure
street - A street address in an address
subject - One of a group of terms describing the subject matter of a document
subjectset - A set of terms describing the subject matter of a document
subjectterm - A term in a group of terms describing the subject matter of a document
subscript - A subscript (as in H2O, the molecular formula for water)
substeps - A wrapper for steps that occur within steps in a procedure
subtitle - The subtitle of a document
superscript - A superscript (as in x^2, the mathematical notation for x multiplied by itself)
surname - A family name; in western cultures the last name
symbol - A name that is replaced by a value before processing
synopfragment - A portion of a CmdSynopsis broken out from the main body of the synopsis
synopfragmentref - A reference to a fragment of a command synopsis
synopsis - A general-purpose element for representing the syntax of commands or functions
systemitem - A system-related item or term
table (db.cals.table) - A formal table in a document
table (db.html.table) - A formal table in a document
tag - A component of XML (or SGML) markup
task - A task to be completed
taskprerequisites - The prerequisites for a task
taskrelated - Information related to a task
tasksummary - A summary of a task
tbody (db.cals.entrytbl.tbody) - A wrapper for the rows of a table or informal table
tbody (db.cals.tbody) - A wrapper for the rows of a table or informal table
tbody (db.html.tbody) - A wrapper for the rows of a table or informal table
td - A table entry in an HTML table
term - The word or phrase being defined or described in a variable list
termdef - An inline definition of a term
tertiary - A tertiary word or phrase in an index term
tertiaryie - A tertiary term in an index entry, rather than in the text
textdata - Pointer to external text data
textobject - A wrapper for a text description of an object and its associated meta-information
tfoot (db.cals.tfoot) - A table footer consisting of one or more rows
tfoot (db.html.tfoot) - A table footer consisting of one or more rows
tgroup - A wrapper for the main content of a table, or part of a table
th - A table header entry in an HTML table
thead (db.cals.entrytbl.thead) - A table header consisting of one or more rows
thead (db.cals.thead) - A table header consisting of one or more rows
thead (db.html.thead) - A table header consisting of one or more rows
tip - A suggestion to the user, set off from the text
titleabbrev - The abbreviation of a Title
title - The text of the title of a section of a document or of a formal block-level element
toc - A table of contents
tocdiv - A division in a table of contents
tocentry - A component title in a table of contents
token - A unit of information
trademark - A trademark
tr - A row in an HTML table
type - The classification of a value
uri - A Uniform Resource Identifier
userinput - Data entered by the user
varargs - An empty element in a function synopsis indicating a variable number of arguments
variablelist - A list in which each entry is composed of a set of one or more terms and an associated description
varlistentry - A wrapper for a set of terms and the associated description in a variable list
varname - The name of a variable
videodata - Pointer to external video data
videoobject - A wrapper for video data and its associated meta-information
void - An empty element in a function synopsis indicating that the function in question takes no arguments
volumenum - The volume number of a document in a set (as of books in a set or articles in a journal)
warning - An admonition set off from the text
wordasword - A word meant specifically as a word and not representing anything else
xref - A cross reference to another part of the document
year - The year of publication of a document

III. Appendixes