DITA Element Reference

This is a draft specification. It is likely that changes will still be made before the final specification.

This page lists elements in DITA and provides recommendations for equivalent or similar functionality in Mallard, when available. This list includes elements that are specializations of other elements, because sometimes more specific recommendations can be made for specializations than for base elements.

Some specialization domains provide functionality that has no equivalent in Mallard, or for which a single recommendation can be made. The following domains do not have their elements listed explicitly:

bookmap
classify-d
glossentry
hazard-d
indexing-d
map
mapgroup-d
mitask-d
subjectScheme
xnal-d

This page does not list elements used in a DITAVAL file. Conditional processing is not addressed by the core Mallard specification, although extensions may provide this functionality. Additionally, this page does not list any of the highly specialized learning and training elements.

In general, Mallard does not attempt to model data as explicitly as DITA. Mallard allows elements and attributes from external namespaces and allows a style attribute on all elements. These mechanisms are preferred when additional semantic information is needed for tracking or validation.

abbreviated-form	No equivalent in Mallard. Future versions may address glossaries directly.
abstract	No equivalent as a block element. Use block content instead. For link preview text, Mallard provides this separately from the block content using the informational desc element.
alt	Media elements in Mallard (both inline and block) use their contents as fallback content. Fallback content can contain any content that would be valid where the media element occurs.
anchorid	Specific to DITA conrefs. No equivalent in Mallard.
anchorkey	Specific to DITA conrefs. No equivalent in Mallard.
apiname	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
area	Mallard does not have image maps. Extensions may provide this functionality.
audience	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
author	Use the common credit element.
b	See the em element for details.
body	Mallard does not wrap page contents in a body tag.
bodydiv	Use the div element.
bookmap/*	No equivalent in Mallard, as Mallard documents are not mapped to linear books. Extensions may provide this functionality. For credits and other contributor information, see the credit element. For revision and review information, see the revision element. For other metadata, use external-namespace elements in info elements.
boolean	No equivalent in Mallard. Include the appropriate text in an element such as code or sys.
brand	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
category
chdesc	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Use a table inside a step to mark up a table of choices or alternatives.
chdeschd
chhead
choicetable
choption
choptionhd
chrow
choice	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Use a basic list inside a step to mark up a list of choices or alternatives.
choices
cite	No equivalent in Mallard. Use the appropriate punctuation, or the em element.
classify-d/*	Classification specialization specific to DITA's mechanism of organizing topics using maps; no direct equivalent in Mallard. See Automatic Links for details on automatic linking and organization in Mallard.
cmd	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Instructions for a step should use a simple paragraph.
cmdname	Similar to the cmd element.
codeblock	Similar to the block code element.
codeph	Similar to the inline code element.
coderef	Use XInclude.
colspec	See the table element for details.
component	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
conbody	Mallard does not wrap page contents in a body tag.
conbodydiv	Mallard does not contain a generic block container element. External-namespace elements may be used in a block content to group block elements.
concept	No specific element in Mallard. Use a page or section element instead, possibly with a style hint.
context	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Simply use a paragraph or other block content.
coords	Mallard does not have image maps. Extensions may provide this functionality.
copyrholder	Use the credit element to record copyright information. Use the name element to record the copyright holder. Use the years element to record copyright years.
copyright
copyryear
created	No direct equivalent in Mallard. The revision element may be used to record this information.
critdates	No equivalent in Mallard. Creation or revision dates can be recorded with revision elements or external-namespace elements in an info element.
data-about	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide additional data in info elements. RDF/XML may be used in info elements for structured data. Currently, info elements can only be used on page and section elements. Future versions may allow info elements on some block elements.
data
dd	See the terms element for details.
ddhd	Mallard does not provide header information for term lists. Use a table instead if necessary.
delim	Mallard does not have a structured environment for syntax diagrams. Extensions may provide this functionality.
desc	In a fig, table, or linklist element, similar to the block desc element. In a link or xref element, use the informational desc element on the target page or section. In an object element, see the processing expectations for the inline and block media element for details on fallback content.
dita	Mallard does not currently have a mechanism to include multiple pages in a single file. Future versions or extensions may provide this functionality.
dl	Use the terms element with item elements.
dlentry	Use the terms element with item elements.
dlhead	Mallard does not provide header information for term lists. Use a table instead if necessary.
draft-comment	Similar to the comment element.
dt	See the terms element for details.
dthd	Mallard does not provide header information for term lists. Use a table instead if necessary.
entry	See the table element for details.
example	Similar to the example element.
exportanchors	Specific to DITA conrefs. No equivalent in Mallard.
featnum	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
fig	Similar to the figure element.
figgroup	No direct equivalent in Mallard. The figure element accepts any block content, so you may use standard formal block element inside it, including nested figure elements.
filepath	Similar to the file element.
fn	Mallard does not currently have support for footnotes. Future versions may add annotations.
foreign	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may be embedded in most contexts, with well-defined rules for fallback processing.
fragment	Mallard does not have a structured environment for syntax diagrams. Extensions may provide this functionality.
fragref
glossentry/*	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for glossaries. Use the terms element instead. Future versions or extensions may address glossaries directly.
glossgroup
glossref	Specific to DITA's mechanism of organizing topics using maps; no direct equivalent in Mallard. See Automatic Links for details on automatic linking and organization in Mallard.
groupchoice	Mallard does not have a structured environment for syntax diagrams. Extensions may provide this functionality.
groupcomp
groupseq
hazard-d/*	Specializations of notes. Use style hints or other extension mechanisms along with the note element.
i	See the em element for details.
image	Use the media element, either inline or block.
imagemap	Mallard does not have image maps. Extensions may provide this functionality.
index-base	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for indexes.
indexing-d/*
indexterm
indextermref
info	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Additional information for a step should be written in additional paragraphs.
itemgroup	Specific to DITA's specialization mechanisms; no equivalent in Mallard. See External Namespaces for details on extending Mallard.
keyword	Use an appropriate inline element, or an external-namespace element if necessary. More specific recommendations can be made for specializations of the keyword element.
keywords	Similar to the keywords element.
kwd	Mallard does not have a structured environment for syntax diagrams. Extensions may provide this functionality.
li	See the item element for each list element for details.
lines	Use either the code or the screen element. Mallard does not have a non-semantic preformatted block element.
link	Different link types are aggregated automatically in Mallard. See the informational link element and the links element for details on automatic links.
linkinfo
linklist
linkpool
linktext	See Link Titles for details.
lq	Similar to the quote element.
longdescref	The media element in Mallard allows block content as children (or inline content for the inline media element). Long descriptions can be provided in fallback content. If you need to separate this into another file, use XInclude.
longquoteref	No equivalent in Mallard. To include content from another file, use XInclude.
map/*	Specific to DITA's mechanism of organizing topics using maps; no direct equivalent in Mallard. See Automatic Links for details on automatic linking and organization in Mallard.
mapgroup-d/*
menucascade	Similar to the guiseq element.
metadata	Mallard does not provide an additional metadata holder inside the info element. Simply place all metadata directly in the info element, possibly using external-namespace elements.
mitask-d/*	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Simply use a paragraph, list, or other block content. Style hints or external-namespace attributes can provide additional semantic information and display expectations.
msgblock	No direct equivalent in Mallard. For output from a running program, the screen element may be appropriate, possibly with an inline output element.
msgnum	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Use the sys element if necessary.
msgph
navtitle	See Informational Titles for details.
no-topic-nesting	Specific to DITA's specialization mechanisms; no equivalent in Mallard. See External Namespaces for details on extending Mallard.
note	Similar to the note element.
object	Media elements in Mallard (both inline and block) can embed standard image, audio, and video data. For non-standard embedded objects, the type attribute can be set to "application".
ol	See the list element for details.
oper	Mallard does not have a structured environment for syntax diagrams. Extensions may provide this functionality.
option	No specific element in Mallard. Use the cmd or code element instead.
othermeta	No equivalent in Mallard. Use external-namespace elements to record additional metadata about a page or section.
p	Similar to the p element.
param	Media elements in Mallard (both inline and block) can embed standard image, audio, and video data. For non-standard embedded objects, the type attribute can be set to "application". When necessary, additional parameters can be passed with external-namespace attributes.
parml	Mallard does not contain a specific element for parameter lists. Use a term list instead.
parmname	No specific element in Mallard. Use the cmd or code element instead.
pd	Mallard does not contain a specific element for parameter lists. Use a term list instead.
permissions	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
ph	Similar to the span element.
platform	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
plentry	Mallard does not contain a specific element for parameter lists. Use a term list instead.
postreq	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Simply use a paragraph or other block content.
pre	Use either the code or the screen element. Mallard does not have a non-semantic preformatted block element.
prereq	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Simply use a paragraph or other block content.
prodinfo	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
prodname
prognum
prolog	Similar to the info element.
propdesc	No semantic equivalent in Mallard. Use a regular table instead.
propdeschd
properties
property
prophead
proptype
proptypehd
propvalue
propvaluehd
pt	Mallard does not contain a specific element for parameter lists. Use a term list instead.
publisher	Use the common credit element.
q	No equivalent in Mallard. Use plain text instead.
refbody	Mallard does not wrap page contents in a body tag.
refbodydiv	Mallard does not contain a generic block container element. External-namespace elements may be used in a block content to group block elements.
reference	No specific element in Mallard. Use a page or section element instead, possibly with a style hint.
refsyn	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Use a section if necessary. Otherwise, use block content.
related-links	Different link types are aggregated automatically in Mallard. See the links element for details on automatic links.
repsep	Mallard does not have a structured environment for syntax diagrams. Extensions may provide this functionality.
required-cleanup	No equivalent in Mallard. Unhandled migrated material may be left in the original namespace, or it may be wrapped in an external-namespace element.
resourceid	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
result	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Simply use a paragraph or other block content.
revised	No direct equivalent in Mallard. The revision element may be used to record this information.
row	See the table element for details.
screen	Similar to the screen element.
searchtitle	See Informational Titles for details.
section	Similar to the div element with a title. DITA sections are lightweight formal blocks and are not like Mallard section elements.
sectiondiv	Use the div element.
sep	Mallard does not have a structured environment for syntax diagrams. Extensions may provide this functionality.
series	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
shape	Mallard does not have image maps. Extensions may provide this functionality.
shortcut	No equivalent in Mallard.
shortdesc	No equivalent as a block element. Use block content instead. For link preview text, Mallard provides this separately from the block content using the informational desc element.
simpletable	See the table element for details.
sl	No direct equivalent in Mallard, although the tree element will give similar results.
sli
source	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
state	No equivalent in Mallard. Include the appropriate text in an element such as code or sys.
stentry	See the table element for details.
step	Use an item element in a step list for a step in a procedure. Mallard does not provide a structured element to mark up step examples or step results.
stepresult
stepxmp
steps	See the steps element for details. Mallard does not provide a dedicated element for unordered step lists or an informal steps element.
steps-unordered
steps-informal
stepsection
sthead	See the table element for details.
strow	See the table element for details.
sub	No equivalent in Mallard. MathML or other domain-specific languages may be embedded into Mallard documents.
subjectScheme/*	Classification specialization specific to DITA's mechanism of organizing topics using maps; no direct equivalent in Mallard. See Automatic Links for details on automatic linking and organization in Mallard.
substep	Mallard does not provide a structured element to mark up substeps in a step list. Nested lists can be used to mark up substeps.
substeps
sup	No equivalent in Mallard. MathML or other domain-specific languages may be embedded into Mallard documents.
synblk	Mallard does not have a structured environment for syntax diagrams. Extensions may provide this functionality.
synnote
synnoteref
synph
syntaxdiagram
systemoutput	Similar to the output element.
table	See the table element for details.
task	No specific element in Mallard. Use a page or section element instead, possibly with a style hint.
taskbody	Mallard does not wrap page contents in a body tag.
tbody	See the table element for details.
term	No equivalent in Mallard. Future versions may address glossaries directly.
text	No equivalent in Mallard. Use the span, which is similar to the ph element in DITA.
tgroup	See the table element for details.
thead	See the table element for details.
title	Similar to the title element.
titlealts	See Informational Titles for details.
tm	No equivalent in Mallard. Simply use the Unicode characters ©, ®, ℠, and ™ instead.
topic	Similar to the page element. When nesting topics, use the section element.
tt	Similar to the sys element.
tutorialinfo	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Additional instructions for a step should be written in additional paragraphs.
u	See the em element for details.
uicontrol	Similar to the gui element.
ul	See the list element for details.
unknown	See External Namespaces for details on extending Mallard.
userinput	Similar to the input element.
var	Mallard does not have a structured environment for syntax diagrams. Extensions may provide this functionality.
varname	Similar to the var element.
vrm	The revision element is placed directly in the info element and records revision information. Additional information about revisions can be recorded with external-namespace elements and attributes.
vrmlist
wintitle	Use either the app or the gui element.
xnal-d/*	Mallard provides fewer details in credits and other places where people or organizations are mentioned. External-namespace elements may provide additional information, including xNAL elements and RDF/XML using vocabularies like FOAF.
xref	Similar to the link element.

DITA Element Reference

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