DocBook Element Reference

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

The following table lists all of the elements in DocBook and provides recommendations for equivalent or similar functionality in Mallard, when available. This page primarily links to DocBook 5 elements, but includes DocBook 4 elements that were removed from DocBook 5. Elements that are only in DocBook 4 are marked with [4]. Elements that are only in DocBook 5 are marked with [5].

abbrev	No equivalent in Mallard. Use plain text instead.
abstract	No equivalent in Mallard. The synopsis element may be appropriate in some cases.
accel	No equivalent in Mallard.
ackno [4]	No equivalent in Mallard. Simply put acknowledgements in a regular paragraph.
acknowledgements [5]
acronym	No equivalent in Mallard. Use plain text instead.
action [4]	No equivalent in Mallard. Use plain text instead.
address	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits
affiliation
alt	No equivalent in Mallard, as Mallard does not currently support equations.
anchor	Currently no equivalent in Mallard. Future versions may address this.
annotation [5]	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide similar functionality.
answer	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for question and answer sessions.
appendix	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Use the page and info elements instead.
appendixinfo [4]
application	Similar to the app element.
arc [5]	Mallard does not directly support XLink extended links. See Informational Links for details on associating pages with well-defined behavior.
area	Mallard does not support callouts.
areaset
areaspec
arg	Mallard does not have a structured environment for command synopses.
article	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Use the page and info elements instead.
articleinfo [4]
artpagenums	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
attribution	Similar to the cite element.
audiodata	See the media element for details.
audioobject	See the media element for details.
author	Use the common credit element.
authorblurb [4]	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
authorgroup	No equivalent in Mallard.
authorinitials	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
beginpage [4]	No equivalent in Mallard.
bibliocoverage	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for bibliographies.
bibliodiv
biblioentry
bibliography
bibliographyinfo [4]
biblioid
bibliolist
bibliomisc
bibliomixed
bibliomset
biblioref
bibliorelation
biblioset
bibliosource
blockinfo [4]	Similar to the info element.
blockquote	Similar to the block quote element.
book	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Use the page and info elements instead.
bookinfo [4]
bridgehead	No equivalent in Mallard.
callout	Mallard does not support callouts.
calloutlist	Mallard does not support callouts.
caption	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Use the desc element in a figure element for a similar effect.
caution	Use the common note element.
chapter	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Use the page and info elements instead.
chapterinfo [4]
citation	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for bibliographies.
citebiblioid
citerefentry	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for reference pages.
citetitle	No equivalent in Mallard. Use the appropriate punctuation, or the em element.
city	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
classname	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
classsynopsis	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Use the block code element instead, possibly inside a synopsis element.
classsynopsisinfo
cmdsynopsis
co	Mallard does not support callouts.
code	Similar to the code element.
col	Similar to the col element.
colgroup	Similar to the colgroup element.
collab	Use the common credit element.
collabname [4]	Varies with use. The name element in a credit element may be appropriate.
colophon	No equivalent in Mallard.
colspec	Mallard does not use the CALS table model.
command	Similar to the cmd element.
computeroutput	Similar to the output element.
confdates	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
confgroup
confnum
confsponsor
conftitle
constant	No specific element in Mallard. Use an inline code or sys element instead.
constraint	Mallard does not have structured EBNF productions.
constraintdef	Mallard does not have structured EBNF productions.
constructorsynopsis	No specific element in Mallard. Use the block code element instead, possibly inside a synopsis element.
contractnum	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
contractsponsor
contrib	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements or for credits.
copyright	Use the credit element to record copyright information.
coref	Use the credit element to record copyright information.	Mallard does not support callouts.
corpauthor [4]	Use the common credit element.
corpcredit [4]	Use the common credit element.
corpname [4]	Varies with use. The name element in a credit element may be appropriate.
country	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
cover [5]	No equivalent in Mallard.
database	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline sys element instead.
date	Varies with use. For revisions, use the date attribute. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
dedication	No equivalent in Mallard.
destructorsynopsis	No specific element in Mallard. Use the block code element instead, possibly inside a synopsis element.
edition	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
editor	Use the common credit element.
email	Varies with use. Use the name element in a credit element in an informational context. Inline, use sys.
emphasis	Similar to the em element.
entry	Mallard does not use the CALS table model.
entrytbl	Mallard does not use the CALS table model.
envar	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline sys element instead.
epigrah	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Some processing tools may support the epigraph style hint on the block quote element.
equation	Currently no equivalent in Mallard. Future versions may address this.
errorcode	No specific elements in Mallard. Use the inline sys element. For error text, the output may be appropriate.
errorname
errortext
errortype
example	Similar to the example element.
exceptionname	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
extendedlink [5]	Mallard does not directly support XLink extended links. See Informational Links for details on associating pages with well-defined behavior.
fax	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
fieldsynopsis	No specific element in Mallard. Use the block code element instead, possibly inside a synopsis element.
figure	Similar to the figure element.
filename	Similar to the file element.
firstname	No equivalent in Mallard. Mallard records the whole name as it should be presented. External-namespace elements may provide parts of names for credits.
firstterm	No specific element in Mallard. Use the em element to emphasize the first usage of a term.
footnote	Mallard does not currently have support for footnotes. Future versions may add annotations.
footnoteref
foreignphrase	No specific element in Mallard. If necessary, use the em element to emphasize a foreign phrase.
formalpara	The Mallard div element has no formal semantics, but is usable to add a title to a paragraph.
funcdef	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Use the block code element instead, possibly inside a synopsis element.
funcparams
funcprototype
funcsynopsis
funcsynopsisinfo
function	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
givenname [5]	No equivalent in Mallard. Mallard records the whole name as it should be presented. External-namespace elements may provide parts of names for credits.
glossary	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Use the page and info elements instead. Future versions may address glossaries directly.
glossaryinfo [4]
glossdef	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for glossaries. Use the terms element instead. Future versions may address glossaries directly.
glossdiv
glossentry
glosslist
glosssee
glossseealso
glossterm
graphic [4]	See the media element for details.
graphicco [4]	Mallard does not support callouts.
group	Mallard does not have a structured environment for command synopses.
guibutton	Use the common gui element.
guiicon
guilabel
guimenu
guimenuitem
guisubmenu
hardware	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline sys element instead.
highlights [4]	Currently no equivalent in Mallard. Future versions may support marking the introductory text of a topic.
holder	Use the name element in a credit element. Mallard records copyright information in credit elements.
honorific	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
html:form	No specific recommendation at this time, although external-namespace elements, including XHTML, may be used in Mallard. Tools may not support HTML forms.
imagedata	See the media element for details.
imageobject	See the media element for details.
imageobjectco	Mallard does not support callouts.
important	Use the common note element.
index	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for indexes.
indexdiv
indexentry
indexinfo [4]
indexterm
info [5]	Similar to the info element.
informalequation	Currently no equivalent in Mallard. Future versions may address this.
informalexample	Similar to the example element.
informalfigure	Similar to the figure element.
informaltable	Similar to the table element. Mallard does not use the CALS table model.
initializer	Mallard does not have a structured environment for field synopses.
inlineequation	Currently no equivalent in Mallard. Future versions may address this.
inlinegraphic [4]	See the inline media element for details.
inlinemediaobject	See the inline media element for details.
interface [4]	Use the common gui element.
interfacename	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
invpartnumber [4]	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
isbn [4]
issn [4]
issuenum
itemizedlist	See the list element for details.
itermset	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
jobtitle	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
keycap	Similar to the key element.
keycode	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline sys element instead.
keycombo	Similar to the keyseq element.
keysym	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline sys element instead.
keyword	Similar to the keywords element.
keywordset	Similar to the keywords element.
label	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for question and answer sessions.
legalnotice	No general-purpose legal notice in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements. For license information, use the license element.
lhs	Mallard does not have structured EBNF productions.
lineage	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
lineannotation	Currently no equivalent in Mallard. You may use inline emphasis for a similar effect.
link	See the link element for details.
listitem	See the item element for each list element for details.
literal	No specific element in Mallard. Use an inline code or sys element instead.
literallayout	Currently no general-purpose literal layout in Mallard. Future versions may address this.
locator [5]	Mallard does not directly support XLink extended links. See Informational Links for details on associating pages with well-defined behavior.
lot [4]	No equivalent in Mallard.
lotentry [4]	No equivalent in Mallard.
manvolnum	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for reference pages.
markup	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
mathphrase	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this, or may embed MathML instead with a supporting tool.
medialabel [4]	No equivalent in Mallard. Use plain text instead.
mediaobject	See the media element for details.
mediaobjectco [4]	Mallard does not support callouts.
member	No equivalent in Mallard to DocBook's simplelist element.
menuchoice	Similar to the guiseq element.
methodname	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
methodparam	Mallard does not have a structured environment for method synopses.
methodsynopsis	No specific element in Mallard. Use the block code element instead, possibly inside a synopsis element.
mml:*	No specific recommendation at this time, although external-namespace elements, including MathML, may be used in Mallard. Tools may not support MathML.
modespec [4]	No equivalent in Mallard.
modifier	Mallard does not have a structured environment for code synopses.
mousebutton	No equivalent in Mallard. Use plain text instead.
msg	Mallard does not have a structured environment for messages.
msgaud
msgentry
msgexplan
msginfo
msglevel
msgmain
msgorig
msgrel
msgset
msgsub
msgtext
multimediaparam [5]	No equivalent in Mallard. Style hints or External-namespace elements or attributes may provide extra information for video or audio media elements.
nonterminal	Mallard does not have structured EBNF productions.
note	Use the common note element.
objectinfo [4]	Similar to the info element.
olink	See the link element for details.
ooclass	Mallard does not have a structured environment for code synopses.
ooexception
oointerface
option	No specific element in Mallard. Use the cmd element instead.
optional	No equivalent in Mallard.
orderedlist	See the list element for details.
org [5]	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
orgdiv
orgname
otheraddr
othercredit	Use the common credit element.
othername	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
package	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline sys element instead.
pagenums	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for bibliographies.
para	Similar to the p element.
paramdef	Mallard does not have a structured environment for function prototypes.
parameter	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
part	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Use the page and info elements instead.
partinfo [4]
partintro	No direct equivalent in Mallard. The page or section element may be appropriate.
person [5]	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
personblurb
personname
phone
phrase	Similar to the span element.
pob	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
postcode
preface	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Use the page and info elements instead.
prefaceinfo [4]
primary	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for indexes.
primaryie
printhistory	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
procedure	See the steps element for details.
production	Mallard does not have structured EBNF productions.
productionrecap
productionset
productname	No equivalent in Mallard. Inline, use plain text. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
productnumber
programlisting	Similar to the block code element.
programlistingco	Mallard does not support callouts.
prompt	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline outut element instead.
property	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline sys element instead.
pubdate	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
publisher	Use the common credit element.
publishername	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
pubsnumber [4]	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
qandadiv	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for question and answer sessions.
qandaentry
qandaset
question
quote	No equivalent in Mallard. Use plain text instead.
refclass	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for reference pages.
refdescriptor
refentry
refentryinfo [4]
refentrytitle
reference
referenceinfo [4]
refmeta
refmiscinfo
refname
refnamediv
refpurpose
refsect1
refsect1info [4]
refsect2
refsect2info [4]
refsect3
refsect3info [4]
refsection
refsectioninfo [4]
refsynopsisdiv
refsynopsisdivinfo [4]
releaseinfo	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
remark	Similar to the comment element.
replaceable	Similar to the var element.
result	Mallard does not provide a structured element to mark up step results. Use a regular paragraph.
returnvalue	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
revdescription	No direct equivalent in Mallard. The desc element may provide this for revisions. Otherwise, use external-namespace elements in revisions.
revhistory	Mallard does not provide a wrapper for revision elements. Place all revision elements directly in an info element instead.
revision	Similar to the revision element.
revnumber	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for revisions.
revremark
rhs	Mallard does not have structured EBNF productions.
row	Mallard does not use the CALS table model.
sbr	Mallard does not have a structured environment for command synopses.
screen	Similar to the screen element.
screenco	Mallard does not support callouts.
screeninfo [4]	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for media elements.
screenshot	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Style hints may be used on the media element for a similar effect.
secondary	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for indexes.
secondaryie
sect1	Use the common section and info elements.
sect1info [4]
sect2
sect2info [4]
sect3
sect3info [4]
sect4
sect4info [4]
sect5
sect5info [4]
section
sectioninfo [4]
see	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for indexes.
seealso
seealsoie
seeie
seg	No direct equivalent for segmented lists in Mallard. Use either term lists or tables instead.
seglistitem
segmentedlist
segtitle
seriesvolnums	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
set	Mallard does not provide a means of aggregating multiple documents into a single file.
setindex
setindexinfo [4]
setinfo [4]
sgmltag [4]	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
shortaffil	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
shortcut	No equivalent in Mallard. Record shortcuts for menu choices in running text with the keyseq and key elements.
sidebar	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Style hints may be used to effect something similar for notes or even sections.
sidebarinfo [4]
simpara	Similar to the p element.
simplelist	No equivalent in Mallard. For horizontal or vertical lists, use tables instead. For inline lists, use plain text.
simplemsgentry	Mallard does not have a structured environment for messages.
simplesect	Use the common section element.
spanspec	Mallard does not use the CALS table model.
state	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
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 alternatives.
stepalternatives
street	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information for credits.
structfield [4]	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
structname [4]
subject	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
subjectset
subjectterm
subscript	No equivalent in Mallard. MathML or other domain-specific languages may be embedded into Mallard documents.
substeps	Mallard does not provide a structured element to mark up substeps in a step list. Nested lists can be used to mark up substeps.
subtitle	Similar to the subtitle element.
superscript	No equivalent in Mallard. MathML or other domain-specific languages may be embedded into Mallard documents.
surname	No equivalent in Mallard. Mallard records the whole name as it should be presented. External-namespace elements may provide parts of names for credits.
symbol	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
synopfragment	Mallard does not have a structured environment for command synopses.
synopfragmentref
synopsis	Similar to the synopsis element.
systemitem	Similar to the sys element.
table	Use the table element. Note that Mallard only supports HTML-style tables, and not CALS tables.
tag [5]	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
task	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Step lists provide some of the functionality of tasks.
taskprerequisites
taskrelated
tasksummary
tbody	See the table element for details.
td	See the table element for details.
term	Use the title element in an item element in a step list.
termdef	No equivalent in Mallard. Future versions may address glossaries directly.
tertiary	Mallard does not currently have a structured environment for indexes.
tertiaryie
textdata	See the media element for details.
textobject	See the media element for details.
tfoot	See the table element for details.
tgroup
th
thead
tip	Use the common note element.
title	Similar to the title element.
titleabbrev	No direct equivalent in Mallard. Informational titles may be used to provide abbreviated titles for different purposes.
toc	Mallard does not organize documents into linear structures. Topic and guide links can induce hierarchical structures, and sections within a page are linearly structured. See the links element for details on how links are displayed for these.
tocback [4]
tocchap [4]
tocdiv [5]
tocentry
tocfront [4]
toclevel1 [4]
toclevel2 [4]
toclevel3 [4]
toclevel4 [4]
toclevel5 [4]
tocpart [4]
token	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
topic	Similar to the page element.
tr	See the table element for details.
trademark	No equivalent in Mallard. Simply use the Unicode characters ©, ®, ℠, and ™ instead.
type	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
ulink [4]	See the link element for details.
uri	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline sys element instead.
userinput	Similar to the input element.
varargs	Mallard does not have a structured environment for function prototypes.
variablelist	Use the terms element with item elements.
varlistentry	Use the terms element with item elements.
varname	No specific element in Mallard. Use the inline code element instead.
videodata	See the media element for details.
videoobject	See the media element for details.
void	Mallard does not have a structured environment for function prototypes.
volumenum	No equivalent in Mallard. External-namespace elements may provide this information in info elements.
warning	Use the common note element.
wordasword	No equivalent in Mallard. You may emphasize a word as a word with the em element. Style hints on the em element may be used to indicate this role.
xref	See the link element for details.
year	Use the years element in a credit element. Mallard records copyright information in credit elements.

DocBook Element Reference

More Information

See Also