Sidebar

Name

Sidebar -- A portion of a document that is isolated from the main narrative flow

Synopsis

Content Model

Sidebar ::=
((Title,TitleAbbrev?)?,
 (CalloutList|GlossList|ItemizedList|OrderedList|SegmentedList|
  SimpleList|VariableList|Caution|Important|Note|Tip|Warning|
  LiteralLayout|ProgramListing|ProgramListingCO|Screen|ScreenCO|
  ScreenShot|Synopsis|CmdSynopsis|FuncSynopsis|FormalPara|Para|
  SimPara|Address|BlockQuote|Graphic|GraphicCO|MediaObject|
  MediaObjectCO|InformalEquation|InformalExample|InformalFigure|
  InformalTable|Equation|Example|Figure|Table|Procedure|Anchor|
  BridgeHead|Comment|Highlights|IndexTerm)+)

Attributes

Common attributes

Tag Minimization

Both the start- and end-tags are required for this element.

Parameter Entities

%admon.mix;%bookcomponent.content;%component.mix;
%compound.class;%divcomponent.mix;%refcomponent.mix;

Description

A Sidebar is a short piece of text, rarely longer than a single column or page, that is presented outside the narrative flow of the main text.

Sidebars are often used for digressions or interesting observations that are related, but not directly relevant, to the main text.

Processing expectations

Formatted as a displayed block. Sidebars are sometimes boxed.

DocBook does not specify the location of the Sidebar within the final displayed flow of text. The wrapper may float or remain where it is located.

Parents

These elements contain Sidebar: Appendix, Article, BiblioDiv, Bibliography, BlockQuote, Callout, Caution, Chapter, Glossary, GlossDiv, Important, Index, ListItem, MsgExplan, MsgText, Note, PartIntro, Preface, Procedure, RefSect1, RefSect2, RefSect3, RefSynopsisDiv, Sect1, Sect2, Sect3, Sect4, Sect5, Section, SetIndex, SimpleSect, Step, Tip, Warning.

Children

The following elements occur in Sidebar: Address, Anchor, BlockQuote, BridgeHead, CalloutList, Caution, CmdSynopsis, Comment, Equation, Example, Figure, FormalPara, FuncSynopsis, GlossList, Graphic, GraphicCO, Highlights, Important, IndexTerm, InformalEquation, InformalExample, InformalFigure, InformalTable, ItemizedList, LiteralLayout, MediaObject, MediaObjectCO, Note, OrderedList, Para, Procedure, ProgramListing, ProgramListingCO, Screen, ScreenCO, ScreenShot, SegmentedList, SimPara, SimpleList, Synopsis, Table, Tip, Title, TitleAbbrev, VariableList, Warning.

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

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

See Also

Abstract, BlockQuote, Epigraph, Highlights

Examples

<!DOCTYPE sect1 PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook V3.1//EN">
<sect1><title>An Example Section</title>

<para>
Some narrative text.
</para>

<sidebar><title>A Sidebar</title>
<para>
Sidebar content.
</para>
</sidebar>

<para>
The continuing flow of the narrative text, as if the
sidebar was not present.
</para>

</sect1>

Copyright © 1999 O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.