The Docutils Document Tree

A Guide to the Docutils DTD

Author: David Goodger
Contact: goodger@users.sourceforge.net
Revision: 1.35
Date: 2003-05-26
Copyright: This document has been placed in the public domain.

Contents

This document describes the XML data structure of Docutils documents: the relationships and semantics of elements and attributes. The Docutils document structure is formally defined by the Docutils Generic DTD XML document type definition, docutils.dtd, which is the definitive source for details of element structural relationships.

This document does not discuss implementation details. Those can be found in internal documentation (docstrings) for the docutils.nodes module, where the document tree data structure is implemented in a class library.

The reader is assumed to have some familiarity with XML or SGML, and an understanding of the data structure meaning of "tree". For a list of introductory articles, see Introducing the Extensible Markup Language (XML).

The reStructuredText markup is used for illustrative examples throughout this document. For a gentle introduction, see A ReStructuredText Primer. For complete technical details, see the reStructuredText Markup Specification.

Element Hierarchy

Below is a simplified diagram of the hierarchy of elements in the Docutils document tree structure. An element may contain any other elements immediately below it in the diagram. Notes are written in square brackets. Element types in parentheses indicate recursive or one-to-many relationships; sections may contain (sub)sections, tables contain further body elements, etc.

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| document  [may begin with a title, subtitle, docinfo, decoration]  |
|                             +--------------------------------------+
|                             | sections  [each begins with a title] |
+-----------------------------+-------------------------+------------+
| [body elements:]                                      | (sections) |
|         | - literal | - lists  |       | - hyperlink  +------------+
|         |   blocks  | - tables |       |   targets    |
| para-   | - doctest | - block  | foot- | - sub. defs  |
| graphs  |   blocks  |   quotes | notes | - comments   |
+---------+-----------+----------+-------+--------------+
| [text]+ | [text]    | (body elements)  | [text]       |
| (inline +-----------+------------------+--------------+
| markup) |
+---------+

The Docutils document model uses a simple, recursive model for section structure. A document node may contain body elements and section elements. Sections in turn may contain body elements and sections. The level (depth) of a section element is determined from its physical nesting level; unlike other document models (<h1> in HTML, <sect1> in DocBook, <div1> in XMLSpec) the level is not incorporated into the element name.

The Docutils document model uses strict element content models. Every element has a unique structure and semantics, but elements may be classified into general categories (below). Only elements which are meant to directly contain text data have a mixed content model, where text data and inline elements may be intermixed. This is unlike the much looser HTML document model, where paragraphs and text data may occur at the same level.

Structural Elements

Structural elements may only contain child elements; they do not directly contain text data. Structural elements may contain body elements or further structural elements. Structural elements can only be child elements of other structural elements.

Category members: document, section, topic, sidebar

Structural Subelements

Structural subelements are child elements of structural elements.

Category members: title, subtitle, docinfo, decoration, transition

Bibliographic Elements

The docinfo element is an optional child of document. It groups bibliographic elements together.

Category members: address, author, authors, contact, copyright, date, field, organization, revision, status, version

Decorative Elements

The decoration element is also an optional child of document. It groups together elements used to generate page headers and footers.

Category members: footer, header

Body Elements

Body elements are contained within structural elements and compound body elements. There are two subcategories of body elements: simple and compound.

Category members: admonition, attention, block_quote, bullet_list, caution, citation, comment, danger, definition_list, doctest_block, enumerated_list, error, field_list, figure, footnote, hint, image, important, line_block, literal_block, note, option_list, paragraph, pending, raw, rubric, substitution_definition, system_message, table, target, tip, warning

Simple Body Elements

Simple body elements directly are empty or contain text data. Those that contain text data may also contain inline elements. Such elements therefore have a "mixed content model".

Category members: comment, doctest_block, image, line_block, literal_block, paragraph, pending, raw, rubric, substitution_definition, target

Compound Body Elements

Compound body elements contain local substructure (body subelements) and further body elements. They do not directly contain text data.

Category members: admonition, attention, block_quote, bullet_list, caution, citation, danger, definition_list, enumerated_list, error, field_list, figure, footnote, hint, important, note, option_list, system_message, table, tip, warning

Body Subelements

Compound body elements contain specific subelements (e.g. bullet_list contains list_item). Subelements may themselves be compound elements (containing further child elements, like field) or simple data elements (containing text data, like field_name). These subelements always occur within specific parent elements, never at the body element level (beside paragraphs, etc.).

Category members (simple): attribution, caption, classifier, colspec, field_name, label, option_argument, option_string, term

Category members (compound): definition, definition_list_item, description, entry, field, field_body, legend, list_item, option, option_group, option_list_item, row, tbody, tgroup, thead

Inline Elements

Inline elements directly contain text data, and may also contain further inline elements. Inline elements are contained within simple body elements. Most inline elements have a "mixed content model".

Category members: abbreviation, acronym, citation_reference, emphasis, footnote_reference, generated, image, inline, literal, problematic, reference, strong, subscript, substitution_reference, superscript, target, title_reference, raw

Element Reference

Each element in the DTD (document type definition) is described in its own section below. Each section contains an introduction plus the following subsections:

Many of the element reference sections below are marked "to be completed". Please help complete this document by contributing to its writing.

address

The address element holds the surface mailing address information for the author (individual or group) of the document, or a third-party contact address. Its structure is identical to that of the line_block element: whitespace is significant, especially newlines.

Details

Category:Bibliographic Elements
Parents:The following elements may contain address: docinfo, authors
Children:address elements contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:address is analogous to the DocBook "address" element.
Processing:

As with the line_block element, newlines and other whitespace is significant and must be preserved. However, a monospaced typeface need not be used.

See also docinfo.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:The address element contains the common attributes (id, name, dupname, source, and class), plus xml:space.
Parameter Entities:
 The %bibliographic.elements; parameter entity directly includes address.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

Document Title
==============

:Address: 123 Example Ave.
          Example, EX

Complete pseudo-XML result after parsing and applying transforms:

<document id="document-title" name="document title">
    <title>
        Document Title
    <docinfo>
        <address>
            123 Example Ave.
            Example, EX

See docinfo for a more complete example, including processing context.

admonition

This element is a generic, titled admonition. Also see the specific admonition elements Docutils offers (in alphabetical order): caution, danger, error, hint, important, note, tip, warning.

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain admonition.
Children:admonition elements begin with a title and may contain one or more body elements.
Analogues:admonition has no direct analogues in common DTDs. It can be emulated with primitives and type effects.
Processing:Rendered distinctly (inset and/or in a box, etc.).

Content Model

(title, (%body.elements;)+)
Attributes:The admonition element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes admonition. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes admonition.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

.. admonition:: And, by the way...

   You can make up your own admonition too.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<admonition class="admonition-and-by-the-way">
    <title>
        And, by the way...
    <paragraph>
        You can make up your own admonition too.

attention

The attention element is an admonition, a distinctive and self-contained notice. Also see the other admonition elements Docutils offers (in alphabetical order): caution, danger, error, hint, important, note, tip, warning, and the generic admonition.

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain attention.
Children:attention elements contain one or more body elements.
Analogues:attention has no direct analogues in common DTDs. It can be emulated with primitives and type effects.
Processing:Rendered distinctly (inset and/or in a box, etc.), with the generated title "Attention!" (or similar).

Content Model

(%body.elements;)+
Attributes:The attention element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes attention. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes attention.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

.. Attention:: All your base are belong to us.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<attention>
    <paragraph>
        All your base are belong to us.

author

The author element holds the name of the author of the document.

Details

Category:Bibliographic Elements
Parents:The following elements may contain author: docinfo, authors
Children:author elements may contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:author is analogous to the DocBook "author" element.
Processing:See docinfo.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:The author element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %bibliographic.elements; parameter entity directly includes author.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

Document Title
==============

:Author: J. Random Hacker

Complete pseudo-XML result after parsing and applying transforms:

<document id="document-title" name="document title">
    <title>
        Document Title
    <docinfo>
        <author>
            J. Random Hacker

See docinfo for a more complete example, including processing context.

authors

The authors element is a container for author information for documents with multiple authors.

Details

Category:Bibliographic Elements
Parents:Only the docinfo element contains authors.
Children:authors elements may contain the following elements: author, organization, address, contact
Analogues:authors is analogous to the DocBook "authors" element.
Processing:See docinfo.

Content Model

((author, organization?, address?, contact?)+)
Attributes:The authors element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %bibliographic.elements; parameter entity directly includes authors.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

Document Title
==============

:Authors: J. Random Hacker; Jane Doe

Complete pseudo-XML result after parsing and applying transforms:

<document id="document-title" name="document title">
    <title>
        Document Title
    <docinfo>
        <authors>
            <author>
                J. Random Hacker
            <author>
                Jane Doe

In reStructuredText, multiple author's names are separated with semicolons (";") or commas (","); semicolons take precedence. There is currently no way to represent the author's organization, address, or contact in a reStructuredText "Authors" field.

See docinfo for a more complete example, including processing context.

block_quote

The block_quote element is used for quotations set off from the main text (standalone).

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain block_quote.
Children:block_quote elements contain body elements followed by an optional attribution element.
Analogues:block_quote is analogous to the "blockquote" element in both HTML and DocBook.
Processing:block_quote elements serve to set their contents off from the main text, typically with indentation and/or other decoration.

Content Model

((%body.elements;)+, attribution?)
Attributes:The block_quote element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes block_quote. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes block_quote.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

As a great paleontologist once said,

    This theory, that is mine, is mine.

    -- Anne Elk (Miss)

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<paragraph>
    As a great paleontologist once said,
<block_quote>
    <paragraph>
        This theory, that is mine, is mine.
    <attribution>
        Anne Elk (Miss)

bullet_list

The bullet_list element contains list_item elements which are uniformly marked with bullets. Bullets are typically simple dingbats (symbols) such as circles and squares.

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain bullet_list.
Children:bullet_list elements contain one or more list_item elements.
Analogues:bullet_list is analogous to the HTML "ul" element and to the DocBook "itemizedlist" element. HTML's "ul" is short for "unordered list", which we consider to be a misnomer. "Unordered" implies that the list items may be randomly rearranged without affecting the meaning of the list. Bullet lists are often ordered; the ordering is simply left implicit.
Processing:Each list item should begin a new vertical block, prefaced by a bullet/dingbat.

Content Model

(list_item +)
Attributes:

The bullet_list element contains the common attributes (id, name, dupname, source, and class), plus bullet.

bullet is used to record the style of bullet from the input data. In documents processed from reStructuredText, it contains one of "-", "+", or "*". It may be ignored in processing.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes bullet_list. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes bullet_list.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

- Item 1, paragraph 1.

  Item 1, paragraph 2.

- Item 2.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<bullet_list bullet="-">
    <list_item>
        <paragraph>
            Item 1, paragraph 1.
        <paragraph>
            Item 1, paragraph 2.
    <list_item>
        <paragraph>
            Item 2.

See list_item for another example.

caution

The caution element is an admonition, a distinctive and self-contained notice. Also see the other admonition elements Docutils offers (in alphabetical order): attention, danger, error, hint, important, note, tip, warning, and the generic admonition.

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain caution.
Children:caution elements contain one or more body elements.
Analogues:caution is analogous to the DocBook "caution" element.
Processing:Rendered distinctly (inset and/or in a box, etc.), with the generated title "Caution" (or similar).

Content Model

(%body.elements;)+
Attributes:The caution element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes caution. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes caution.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

.. Caution:: Don't take any wooden nickels.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<caution>
    <paragraph>
        Don't take any wooden nickels.

classifier

The classifier element contains the classification or type of the term being defined in a definition_list. For example, it can be used to indicate the type of a variable.

Details

Category:Body Subelements (simple)
Parents:Only the definition_list_item element contains classifier.
Children:classifier elements may contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:classifier has no direct analogues in common DTDs. It can be emulated with primitives or type effects.
Processing:See definition_list_item.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:The classifier element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

Here is a hypothetical data dictionary. reStructuredText source:

name : string
    Customer name.
i : int
    Temporary index variable.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<definition_list>
    <definition_list_item>
        <term>
            name
        <classifier>
            string
        <definition>
            <paragraph>
                Customer name.
    <definition_list_item>
        <term>
            i
        <classifier>
            int
        <definition>
            <paragraph>
                Temporary index variable.

contact

The contact element holds contact information for the author (individual or group) of the document, or a third-party contact. It is typically used for an email or web address.

Details

Category:Bibliographic Elements
Parents:The following elements may contain contact: docinfo, authors
Children:contact elements may contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:contact is analogous to the DocBook "email" element. The HTML "address" element serves a similar purpose.
Processing:See docinfo.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:The contact element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %bibliographic.elements; parameter entity directly includes contact.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

Document Title
==============

:Contact: jrh@example.com

Complete pseudo-XML result after parsing and applying transforms:

<document id="document-title" name="document title">
    <title>
        Document Title
    <docinfo>
        <contact>
            <reference refuri="mailto:jrh@example.com">
                jrh@example.com

See docinfo for a more complete example, including processing context.

danger

The danger element is an admonition, a distinctive and self-contained notice. Also see the other admonition elements Docutils offers (in alphabetical order): attention, caution, error, hint, important, note, tip, warning, and the generic admonition.

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain danger.
Children:danger elements contain one or more body elements.
Analogues:danger has no direct analogues in common DTDs. It can be emulated with primitives and type effects.
Processing:Rendered distinctly (inset and/or in a box, etc.), with the generated title "!DANGER!" (or similar).

Content Model

(%body.elements;)+
Attributes:The danger element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes danger. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes danger.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

.. DANGER:: Mad scientist at work!

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<danger>
    <paragraph>
        Mad scientist at work!

date

The date element contains the date of publication, release, or last modification of the document.

Details

Category:Bibliographic Elements
Parents:Only the docinfo element contains date.
Children:date elements may contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:date is analogous to the DocBook "date" element.
Processing:Often used with the RCS/CVS keyword "Date". See docinfo.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:The date element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %bibliographic.elements; parameter entity directly includes date.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

Document Title
==============

:Date: 2002-08-20

Complete pseudo-XML result after parsing and applying transforms:

<document id="document-title" name="document title">
    <title>
        Document Title
    <docinfo>
        <date>
            2002-08-20

See docinfo for a more complete example, including processing context.

decoration

The decoration element is a container for header and footer elements and potential future extensions. These elements are used for page navigation, notes, time/datestamp, etc. Currently only the footer element is implemented, populated with processing information (datestamp, a link to Docutils, etc.).

Details

Category:Structural Subelements
Parents:Only the document element contains decoration.
Children:decoration elements may contain decorative elements.
Analogues:There are no direct analogies to decoration in HTML or in DocBook. Equivalents are typically constructed from primitives and/or generated by the processing system.
Processing:See the individual decorative elements.

Content Model

(header?, footer?)

Although the content model doesn't specifically require contents, no empty decoration elements are ever created.

Attributes:The decoration element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

A paragraph.

Complete pseudo-XML result after parsing and applying transforms, assuming that the datestamp command-line option or configuration setting has been supplied:

<document>
    <decoration>
        <footer>
            <paragraph>
                Generated on: 2002-08-20.
    <paragraph>
        A paragraph.

definition

The definition element is a container for the body elements used to define a term in a definition_list.

Details

Category:Body Subelements (compound)
Parents:Only definition_list_item elements contain definition.
Children:definition elements may contain body elements.
Analogues:definition is analogous to the HTML "dd" element and to the DocBook "listitem" element (inside a "variablelistentry" element).
Processing:See definition_list_item.

Content Model

(%body.elements;)+
Attributes:The definition element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

See the examples for the definition_list, definition_list_item, and classifier elements.

definition_list

The definition_list element contains a list of terms and their definitions. It can be used for glossaries or dictionaries, to describe or classify things, for dialogues, or to itemize subtopics (such as in this reference).

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain definition_list.
Children:definition_list elements contain one or more definition_list_item elements.
Analogues:definition_list is analogous to the HTML "dl" element and to the DocBook "variablelist" element.
Processing:See definition_list_item.

Content Model

(definition_list_item +)
Attributes:The definition_list element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes definition_list. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes definition_list.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

Term
  Definition.

Term : classifier
    The ' : ' indicates a classifier in
    definition list item terms only.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<definition_list>
    <definition_list_item>
        <term>
            Term
        <definition>
            <paragraph>
                Definition.
    <definition_list_item>
        <term>
            Term
        <classifier>
            classifier
        <definition>
            <paragraph>
                The ' : ' indicates a classifier in
                definition list item terms only.

See definition_list_item and classifier for further examples.

definition_list_item

The definition_list_item element contains a single term/definition pair (with optional classifier).

Details

Category:Body Subelements (compound)
Parents:Only the definition_list element contains definition_list_item.
Children:definition_list_item elements each contain a single term, an optional classifier, and a definition.
Analogues:definition_list_item is analogous to the DocBook "variablelistentry" element.
Processing:The optional classifier can be rendered differently from the term. They should be separated visually, typically by spaces plus a colon or dash.

Content Model

(term, classifier?, definition)
Attributes:The definition_list_item element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

Tyrannosaurus Rex : carnivore
    Big and scary; the "Tyrant King".

Brontosaurus : herbivore
    All brontosauruses are thin at one end,
    much much thicker in the middle
    and then thin again at the far end.

    -- Anne Elk (Miss)

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<definition_list>
    <definition_list_item>
        <term>
            Tyrannosaurus Rex
        <classifier>
            carnivore
        <definition>
            <paragraph>
                Big and scary; the "Tyrant King".
    <definition_list_item>
        <term>
            Brontosaurus
        <classifier>
            herbivore
        <definition>
            <paragraph>
                All brontosauruses are thin at one end,
                much much thicker in the middle
                and then thin again at the far end.
            <paragraph>
                -- Anne Elk (Miss)

See definition_list and classifier for further examples.

description

The description element contains body elements, describing the purpose or effect of a command-line option or group of options.

Details

Category:Body Subelements
Parents:Only the option_list_item element contains description.
Children:description elements may contain body elements.
Analogues:description has no direct analogues in common DTDs.
Processing:See option_list.

Content Model

(%body.elements;)+
Attributes:The description element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

See the examples for the option_list element.

docinfo

The docinfo element is a container for document bibliographic data, or meta-data (data about the document). It corresponds to the front matter of a book, such as the title page and copyright page.

Details

Category:Structural Subelements
Parents:Only the document element contains docinfo.
Children:docinfo elements contain bibliographic elements.
Analogues:docinfo is analogous to DocBook "info" elements ("bookinfo" etc.). There are no directly analogous HTML elements; the "meta" element carries some of the same information, albeit invisibly.
Processing:

The docinfo element may be rendered as a two-column table or in other styles. It may even be invisible or omitted from the processed output. Meta-data may be extracted from docinfo children; for example, HTML <meta> tags may be constructed.

When Docutils transforms a reStructuredText field_list into a docinfo element (see the examples below), RCS/CVS keywords are normally stripped from simple (one paragraph) field bodies. For complete details, please see RCS Keywords in the reStructuredText Markup Specification.

Content Model

(%bibliographic.elements;)+
Attributes:The docinfo element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

Docinfo is represented in reStructuredText by a field_list in a bibliographic context: the first non-comment element of a document, after any document title/subtitle. The field list is transformed into a docinfo element and its children by a transform. Source:

Docinfo Example
===============

:Author: J. Random Hacker
:Contact: jrh@example.com
:Date: 2002-08-18
:Status: Work In Progress
:Version: 1
:Filename: $RCSfile: doctree.txt,v $
:Copyright: This document has been placed in the public domain.

Complete pseudo-XML result after parsing and applying transforms:

<document id="docinfo-example" name="docinfo example">
    <title>
        Docinfo Example
    <docinfo>
        <author>
            J. Random Hacker
        <contact>
            <reference refuri="mailto:jrh@example.com">
                jrh@example.com
        <date>
            2002-08-18
        <status>
            Work In Progress
        <version>
            1
        <field>
            <field_name>
                Filename
            <field_body>
                <paragraph>
                    doctree.txt
        <copyright>
            This document has been placed in the public domain.

Note that "Filename" is a non-standard docinfo field, so becomes a generic field element. Also note that the "RCSfile" keyword syntax has been stripped from the "Filename" data.

See field_list for an example in a non-bibliographic context. Also see the individual examples for the various bibliographic elements.

doctest_block

The doctest_block element is a Python-specific variant of literal_block. It is a block of text where line breaks and whitespace are significant and must be preserved. doctest_block elements are used for interactive Python interpreter sessions, which are distinguished by their input prompt: >>>. They are meant to illustrate usage by example, and provide an elegant and powerful testing environment via the doctest module in the Python standard library.

Details

Category:Simple Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain doctest_block.
Children:doctest_block elements may contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:doctest_block is analogous to the HTML "pre" element and to the DocBook "programlisting" and "screen" elements.
Processing:As with literal_block, doctest_block elements are typically rendered in a monospaced typeface. It is crucial that all whitespace and line breaks are preserved in the rendered form.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:The doctest_block element contains the common attributes (id, name, dupname, source, and class), plus xml:space.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes doctest_block. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes doctest_block.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

This is an ordinary paragraph.

>>> print 'this is a Doctest block'
this is a Doctest block

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<paragraph>
    This is an ordinary paragraph.
<doctest_block xml:space="preserve">
    >>> print 'this is a Doctest block'
    this is a Doctest block

document

The document element is the root (topmost) element of the Docutils document tree. document is the direct or indirect ancestor of every other element in the tree. It encloses the entire document tree. It is the starting point for a document.

Details

Category:Structural Elements
Parents:The document element has no parents.
Children:document elements may contain structural subelements, structural elements, and body elements.
Analogues:document is analogous to the HTML "html" element and to several DocBook elements such as "book".

Content Model

((title,
  subtitle?)?,
 docinfo?,
 decoration?,
 %structure.model;)

Depending on the source of the data and the stage of processing, the "document" may not initially contain a "title". A document title is not directly representable in reStructuredText. Instead, a lone top-level section may have its title promoted to become the document title, and similarly for a lone second-level (sub)section's title to become the document subtitle. The "docinfo" may be transformed from an initial field_list, and "decoration" is usually constructed programmatically.

See the %structure.model; parameter entity for details of the body of a document.

Attributes:The document element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

A Title
=======

A paragraph.

Complete pseudo-XML result from simple parsing:

<document>
    <section id="a-title" name="a title">
        <title>
            A Title
        <paragraph>
            A paragraph.

After applying transforms, the section title is promoted to become the document title:

<document id="a-title" name="a title">
    <title>
        A Title
    <paragraph>
        A paragraph.

entry

To be completed.

enumerated_list

The enumerated_list element contains list_item elements which are uniformly marked with enumerator labels.

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain enumerated_list.
Children:enumerated_list elements contain one or more list_item elements.
Analogues:enumerated_list is analogous to the HTML "ol" element and to the DocBook "orderedlist" element.
Processing:Each list item should begin a new vertical block, prefaced by a enumeration marker (such as "1.").

Content Model

(list_item +)
Attributes:

The enumerated_list element contains the common attributes (id, name, dupname, source, and class), plus enumtype, prefix, suffix, and start.

enumtype is used to record the intended enumeration sequence, one of "arabic" (1, 2, 3, ...), "loweralpha" (a, b, c, ..., z), "upperalpha" (A, B, C, ..., Z), "lowerroman" (i, ii, iii, iv, ..., mmmmcmxcix [4999]), or "upperroman" (I, II, III, IV, ..., MMMMCMXCIX [4999]).

prefix stores the formatting characters used before the enumerator. In documents originating from reStructuredText data, it will contain either "" (empty string) or "(" (left parenthesis). It may or may not affect processing.

suffix stores the formatting characters used after the enumerator. In documents originating from reStructuredText data, it will contain either "." (period) or ")" (right parenthesis). Depending on the capabilities of the output format, this attribute may or may not affect processing.

start contains the ordinal value of the first item in the list, in decimal. For lists beginning at value 1 ("1", "a", "A", "i", or "I"), this attribute may be omitted.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes enumerated_list. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes enumerated_list.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

1. Item 1.

   (A) Item A.
   (B) Item B.
   (C) Item C.

2. Item 2.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<enumerated_list enumtype="arabic" prefix="" suffix=".">
    <list_item>
        <paragraph>
            Item 1.
        <enumerated_list enumtype="upperalpha" prefix="(" suffix=")">
            <list_item>
                <paragraph>
                    Item A.
            <list_item>
                <paragraph>
                    Item B.
            <list_item>
                <paragraph>
                    Item C.
    <list_item>
        <paragraph>
            Item 2.

See list_item for another example.

error

The error element is an admonition, a distinctive and self-contained notice. Also see the other admonition elements Docutils offers (in alphabetical order): attention, caution, danger, hint, important, note, tip, warning, and the generic admonition.

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain error.
Children:error elements contain one or more body elements.
Analogues:error has no direct analogues in common DTDs. It can be emulated with primitives and type effects.
Processing:Rendered distinctly (inset and/or in a box, etc.), with the generated title "Error" (or similar).

Content Model

(%body.elements;)+
Attributes:The error element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes error. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes error.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

.. Error:: Does not compute.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<error>
    <paragraph>
        Does not compute.

field

The field element contains a pair of field_name and field_body elements.

Details

Category:Body Subelements
Parents:The following elements may contain field: docinfo, field_list
Children:Each field element contains one field_name and one field_body element.
Analogues:field has no direct analogues in common DTDs.
Processing:See field_list.

Content Model

(field_name, field_body)
Attributes:The field element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %bibliographic.elements; parameter entity directly includes field.

Examples

See the examples for the field_list and docinfo elements.

field_body

The field_body element contains body elements. It is analogous to a database field's data.

Details

Category:Body Subelements
Parents:Only the field element contains field_body.
Children:field_body elements may contain body elements.
Analogues:field_body has no direct analogues in common DTDs.
Processing:See field_list.

Content Model

(%body.elements;)*
Attributes:The field_body element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

See the examples for the field_list and docinfo elements.

field_list

The field_list element contains two-column table-like structures resembling database records (label & data pairs). Field lists are often meant for further processing. In reStructuredText, field lists are used to represent bibliographic fields (contents of the docinfo element) and directive options.

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain field_list.
Children:field_list elements contain one or more field elements.
Analogues:field_list has no direct analogues in common DTDs. It can be emulated with primitives such as tables.
Processing:A field_list is typically rendered as a two-column list, where the first column contains "labels" (usually with a colon suffix). However, field lists are often used for extension syntax or special processing. Such structures do not survive as field lists to be rendered.

Content Model

(field +)
Attributes:The field_list element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes field_list. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes field_list.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

:Author: Me
:Version: 1
:Date: 2001-08-11
:Parameter i: integer

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<field_list>
    <field>
        <field_name>
            Author
        <field_body>
            <paragraph>
                Me
    <field>
        <field_name>
            Version
        <field_body>
            <paragraph>
                1
    <field>
        <field_name>
            Date
        <field_body>
            <paragraph>
                2001-08-11
    <field>
        <field_name>
            Parameter i
        <field_body>
            <paragraph>
                integer

field_name

The field_name element contains text data only. It is analogous to a database field's name.

Details

Category:Body Subelements
Parents:Only the field element contains field_name.
Children:field_name elements have no children. They may contain text data only.
Analogues:field_name has no direct analogues in common DTDs.
Processing:See field_list.

Content Model

(#PCDATA)
Attributes:The field_name element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

See the examples for the field_list and docinfo elements.

hint

The hint element is an admonition, a distinctive and self-contained notice. Also see the other admonition elements Docutils offers (in alphabetical order): attention, caution, danger, error, important, note, tip, warning, and the generic admonition.

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain hint.
Children:hint elements contain one or more body elements.
Analogues:hint has no direct analogues in common DTDs. It can be emulated with primitives and type effects.
Processing:Rendered distinctly (inset and/or in a box, etc.), with the generated title "Hint" (or similar).

Content Model

(%body.elements;)+
Attributes:The hint element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes hint. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes hint.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

.. Hint:: It's bigger than a bread box.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<hint>
    <paragraph>
        It's bigger than a bread box.

important

The important element is an admonition, a distinctive and self-contained notice. Also see the other admonition elements Docutils offers (in alphabetical order): attention, caution, danger, error, hint, note, tip, warning, and the generic admonition.

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain important.
Children:important elements contain one or more body elements.
Analogues:important is analogous to the DocBook "important" element.
Processing:Rendered distinctly (inset and/or in a box, etc.), with the generated title "Important" (or similar).

Content Model

(%body.elements;)+
Attributes:The important element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes important. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes important.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

.. Important::

   * Wash behind your ears.
   * Clean up your room.
   * Back up your data.
   * Call your mother.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<important>
    <bullet_list>
        <list_item>
            <paragraph>
                Wash behind your ears.
        <list_item>
            <paragraph>
                Clean up your room.
        <list_item>
            <paragraph>
                Back up your data.
        <list_item>
            <paragraph>
                Call your mother.

line_block

The line_block element contains a block of text where line breaks and whitespace are significant and must be preserved. line_block elements are commonly used for verse and addresses. See line_block for an alternative useful for program listings and interactive computer sessions.

Details

Category:Simple Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain line_block.
Children:line_block elements may contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:line_block is analogous to the DocBook "literallayout" element and to the HTML "pre" element (with modifications to typeface styles).
Processing:Unline literal_block, line_block elements are typically rendered in an ordinary text typeface. It is crucial that all whitespace and line breaks are preserved in the rendered form.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:The line_block element contains the common attributes (id, name, dupname, source, and class), plus xml:space.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes line_block. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes line_block.

Examples

reStructuredText uses a directive to indicate a line_block. Example source:

Take it away, Eric the Orchestra Leader!

.. line-block::

   A one, two, a one two three four

   Half a bee, philosophically,
       must, *ipso facto*, half not be.
   But half the bee has got to be,
       *vis a vis* its entity.  D'you see?

   But can a bee be said to be
       or not to be an entire bee,
           when half the bee is not a bee,
               due to some ancient injury?

   Singing...

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<paragraph>
    Take it away, Eric the Orchestra Leader!
<line_block xml:space="preserve">
    A one, two, a one two three four

    Half a bee, philosophically,
        must, <emphasis>ipso facto</emphasis>, half not be.
    But half the bee has got to be,
        <emphasis>vis a vis</emphasis>its entity.  D'you see?

    But can a bee be said to be
        or not to be an entire bee,
            when half the bee is not a bee,
                due to some ancient injury?

    Singing...

list_item

The list_item element is a container for the elements of a list item.

Details

Category:Body Subelements (compound)
Parents:The bullet_list and enumerated_list elements contain list_item.
Children:list_item elements may contain body elements.
Analogues:list_item is analogous to the HTML "li" element and to the DocBook "listitem" element.
Processing:See bullet_list or enumerated_list.

Content Model

(%body.elements;)+
Attributes:The list_item element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

1. Outer list, item 1.

   * Inner list, item 1.
   * Inner list, item 2.

2. Outer list, item 2.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<enumerated_list enumtype="arabic" prefix="" suffix=".">
    <list_item>
        <paragraph>
            Outer list, item 1.
        <bullet_list bullet="*">
            <list_item>
                <paragraph>
                    Inner list, item 1.
            <list_item>
                <paragraph>
                    Inner list, item 2.
    <list_item>
        <paragraph>
            Outer list, item 2.

See bullet_list or enumerated_list for further examples.

literal_block

The literal_block element contains a block of text where line breaks and whitespace are significant and must be preserved. literal_block elements are commonly used for program listings and interactive computer sessions. See line_block for an alternative useful for verse and addresses.

Details

Category:Simple Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain literal_block.
Children:literal_block elements may contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:literal_block is analogous to the HTML "pre" element and to the DocBook "programlisting" and "screen" elements.
Processing:literal_block elements are typically rendered in a monospaced typeface. It is crucial that all whitespace and line breaks are preserved in the rendered form.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:The literal_block element contains the common attributes (id, name, dupname, source, and class), plus xml:space.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes literal_block. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes literal_block.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

Here is a literal block::

    if literal_block:
        text = 'is left as-is'
        spaces_and_linebreaks = 'are preserved'
        markup_processing = None

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<paragraph>
    Here is a literal block:
<literal_block xml:space="preserve">
    if literal_block:
        text = 'is left as-is'
        spaces_and_linebreaks = 'are preserved'
        markup_processing = None

note

The note element is an admonition, a distinctive and self-contained notice. Also see the other admonition elements Docutils offers (in alphabetical order): attention, caution, danger, error, hint, important, tip, warning, and the generic admonition.

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain note.
Children:note elements contain one or more body elements.
Analogues:note is analogous to the DocBook "note" element.
Processing:Rendered distinctly (inset and/or in a box, etc.), with the generated title "Note" (or similar).

Content Model

(%body.elements;)+
Attributes:The note element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes note. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes note.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

.. Note:: Admonitions can be handy to break up a
   long boring technical document.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<note>
    <paragraph>
        Admonitions can be handy to break up a
        long boring technical document.

option

The option element groups an option string together with zero or more option argument placeholders. Note that reStructuredText currently supports only one argument per option.

Details

Category:Body Subelements
Parents:Only the option_group element contains option.
Children:Each option element contains one option_string and zero or more option_argument elements.
Analogues:option has no direct analogues in common DTDs.
Processing:See option_list.

Content Model

(option_string, option_argument *)
Attributes:The option element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

See the examples for the option_list element.

option_argument

The option_argument element contains placeholder text for option arguments.

Details

Category:Body Subelements
Parents:Only the option element contains option_argument.
Children:option_argument elements contain text data only.
Analogues:option_argument has no direct analogues in common DTDs.
Processing:The value of the "delimiter" attribute is prefixed to the option_argument, separating it from its option_string or a preceding option_argument. The option_argument text is typically rendered in a monospaced typeface, possibly italicized or otherwise altered to indicate its placeholder nature.

Content Model

(#PCDATA)
Attributes:

The option_argument element contains the common attributes (id, name, dupname, source, and class), plus delimiter.

delimiter contains the text preceding the option_argument: either the text separating it from the option_string (typically either "=" or " ") or the text between option arguments (typically either "," or " ").

Examples

See the examples for the option_list element.

option_group

The option_group element groups together one or more option elements, all synonyms.

Details

Category:Body Subelements
Parents:Only the option_list_item element contains option_group.
Children:

option_group elements contain one or more option elements.

option_group is an empty element and has no children.

Each option_group element contains one _ and one _ element.
Analogues:option_group has no direct analogues in common DTDs.
Processing:Typically option elements within an option_group are joined together in a comma-separated list.

Content Model

(option_group, description)
Attributes:The option_group element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

See the examples for the option_list element.

option_list

Each option_list element contains a two-column list of command-line options and descriptions, documenting a program's options.

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain option_list.
Children:option_list elements contain one or more option_list_item elements.
Analogues:option_list has no direct analogues in common DTDs. It can be emulated with primitives such as tables.
Processing:An option_list is typically rendered as a two-column list, where the first column contains option strings and arguments, and the second column contains descriptions.

Content Model

(option_list_item +)
Attributes:The option_list element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes option_list. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes option_list.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

-a            command-line option "a"
-1 file, --one=file, --two file
              Multiple options with arguments.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<option_list>
    <option_list_item>
        <option_group>
            <option>
                <option_string>
                    -a
        <description>
            <paragraph>
                command-line option "a"
    <option_list_item>
        <option_group>
            <option>
                <option_string>
                    -1
                <option_argument delimiter=" ">
                    file
            <option>
                <option_string>
                    --one
                <option_argument delimiter="=">
                    file
            <option>
                <option_string>
                    --two
                <option_argument delimiter=" ">
                    file
        <description>
            <paragraph>
                Multiple options with arguments.

option_list_item

The option_list_item element is a container for a pair of option_group and description elements.

Details

Category:Body Subelements
Parents:Only the option_list element contains option_list_item.
Children:Each option_list_item element contains one option_group and one description element.
Analogues:option_list_item has no direct analogues in common DTDs.
Processing:See option_list.

Content Model

(option_group, description)
Attributes:The option_list_item element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

See the examples for the option_list element.

option_string

The option_string element contains the text of a command-line option.

Details

Category:Body Subelements
Parents:Only the option element contains option_string.
Children:option_string elements contain text data only.
Analogues:option_string has no direct analogues in common DTDs.
Processing:The option_string text is typically rendered in a monospaced typeface.

Content Model

(#PCDATA)
Attributes:The option_string element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

See the examples for the option_list element.

organization

The organization element contains the name of document author's organization, or the organization responsible for the document.

Details

Category:Bibliographic Elements
Parents:Only the docinfo element contains organization.
Children:organization elements may contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:organization is analogous to the DocBook "orgname", "corpname", or "publishername" elements.
Processing:See docinfo.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:The organization element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %bibliographic.elements; parameter entity directly includes organization.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

Document Title
==============

:Organization: Humankind

Complete pseudo-XML result after parsing and applying transforms:

<document id="document-title" name="document title">
    <title>
        Document Title
    <docinfo>
        <organization>
            Humankind

See docinfo for a more complete example, including processing context.

paragraph

The paragraph element contains the text and inline elements of a single paragraph, a fundamental building block of documents.

Details

Category:Simple Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain paragraph.
Children:paragraph elements may contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:paragraph is analogous to the HTML "p" element and to the DocBook "para" elements.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:The paragraph element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes paragraph. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes paragraph.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

A paragraph.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<paragraph>
    A paragraph.

revision

The revision element contains the revision number of the document. It can be used alone or in conjunction with version.

Details

Category:Bibliographic Elements
Parents:Only the docinfo element contains revision.
Children:revision elements may contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:revision is analogous to but simpler than the DocBook "revision" element. It closely matches the DocBook "revnumber" element, but in a simpler context.
Processing:Often used with the RCS/CVS keyword "Revision". See docinfo.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:The revision element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %bibliographic.elements; parameter entity directly includes revision.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

Document Title
==============

:Version: 1
:Revision: b

Complete pseudo-XML result after parsing and applying transforms:

<document id="document-title" name="document title">
    <title>
        Document Title
    <docinfo>
        <version>
            1
        <revision>
            b

See docinfo for a more complete example, including processing context.

rubric

rubric n. 1. a title, heading, or the like, in a manuscript, book, statute, etc., written or printed in red or otherwise distinguished from the rest of the text. ...

—Random House Webster's College Dictionary, 1991

A rubric is like an informal heading that doesn't correspond to the document's structure.

To be completed.

section

The section element is the main unit of hierarchy for Docutils documents. Docutils section elements are a recursive structure; a section may contain other section elements, without limit. Paragraphs and other body elements may occur before a section, but not after it.

Details

Category:Structural Elements
Parents:The following elements may contain section: document, section
Children:section elements begin with a title, and may contain body elements as well as transition, topic, and sidebar elements.
Analogues:section is analogous to DocBook recursive "section" elements, and to HTML "div" elements combined with "h1" etc. title elements.

Content Model

(title,
 %structure.model;)

See the %structure.model; parameter entity for details of the body of a section.

Attributes:The section element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %section.elements; parameter entity directly includes section. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes section.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

Title 1
=======
Paragraph 1.

Title 2
-------
Paragraph 2.

Title 3
=======
Paragraph 3.

Title 4
-------
Paragraph 4.

Complete pseudo-XML result after parsing:

<document>
    <section id="title-1" name="title 1">
        <title>
            Title 1
        <paragraph>
            Paragraph 1.
        <section id="title-2" name="title 2">
            <title>
                Title 2
            <paragraph>
                Paragraph 2.
    <section id="title-3" name="title 3">
        <title>
            Title 3
        <paragraph>
            Paragraph 3.
        <section id="title-4" name="title 4">
            <title>
                Title 4
            <paragraph>
                Paragraph 4.

status

The status element contains a status statement for the document, such as "Draft", "Final", "Work In Progress", etc.

Details

Category:Bibliographic Elements
Parents:Only the docinfo element contains status.
Children:status elements may contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:status is analogous to the DocBook "status" element.
Processing:See docinfo.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:The status element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %bibliographic.elements; parameter entity directly includes status.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

Document Title
==============

:Status: Work In Progress

Complete pseudo-XML result after parsing and applying transforms:

<document id="document-title" name="document title">
    <title>
        Document Title
    <docinfo>
        <status>
            Work In Progress

See docinfo for a more complete example, including processing context.

subtitle

The subtitle element stores the subtitle of a document.

Details

Category:Structural Subelements
Parents:The document and sidebar elements may contain subtitle.
Children:subtitle elements may contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:subtitle is analogous to HTML header elements ("h2" etc.) and to the DocBook "subtitle" element.
Processing:A document's subtitle is usually rendered smaller than its title.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:The subtitle element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

=======
 Title
=======
----------
 Subtitle
----------

A paragraph.

Complete pseudo-XML result after parsing and applying transforms:

<document id="title" name="title">
    <title>
        Title
    <subtitle id="subtitle" name="subtitle">
        Subtitle
    <paragraph>
        A paragraph.

Note how two section levels have collapsed, promoting their titles to become the document's title and subtitle. Since there is only one structural element (document), the subsection's id and name attributes are stored in the subtitle element.

term

The term element contains a word or phrase being defined in a definition_list.

Details

Category:Body Subelements (simple)
Parents:Only the definition_list_item element contains term.
Children:term elements may contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:term is analogous to the HTML "dt" element and to the DocBook "term" element.
Processing:See definition_list_item.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:The term element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Examples

See the examples for the definition_list, definition_list_item, and classifier elements.

tip

The tip element is an admonition, a distinctive and self-contained notice. Also see the other admonition elements Docutils offers (in alphabetical order): attention, caution, danger, error, hint, important, note, warning, and the generic admonition.

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain tip.
Children:tip elements contain one or more body elements.
Analogues:tip is analogous to the DocBook "tip" element.
Processing:Rendered distinctly (inset and/or in a box, etc.), with the generated title "Tip" (or similar).

Content Model

(%body.elements;)+
Attributes:The tip element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes tip. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes tip.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

.. Tip:: 15% if the service is good.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<tip>
    <paragraph>
        15% if the service is good.

title

The title element stores the title of a document, section, topic, sidebar, or generic admonition.

Details

Category:Structural Subelements
Parents:The following elements may contain title: document, section, topic, sidebar, admonition
Children:title elements may contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:title is analogous to HTML "title" and header ("h1" etc.) elements, and to the DocBook "title" element.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:

The title element contains the common attributes (id, name, dupname, source, and class), plus refid and auto.

refid is used as a backlink to a table of contents entry.

auto is used to indicate (with value "1") that the title has been numbered automatically.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

A Title
=======

A paragraph.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<section id="a-title" name="a title">
    <title>
        A Title
    <paragraph>
        A paragraph.

topic

The topic element is a nonrecursive section-like construct which may occur at the top level of a section wherever a body element (list, table, etc.) is allowed. In other words, topic elements cannot nest inside body elements, so you can't have a topic inside a table or a list, or inside another topic (or sidebar).

Details

Category:Structural Elements
Parents:The following elements may contain topic: document, section
Children:topic elements begin with a title and may contain body elements.
Analogues:topic is analogous to the DocBook "simplesect" element.
Processing:A topic element should be set off from the rest of the document somehow, such as with indentation or a border.

Content Model

(title?,
 (%body.elements;)+)
Attributes:The topic element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %structure.model; parameter entity directly includes topic.

Examples

The "topic" directive is used to create a topic element. reStructuredText source:

.. topic:: Title

   Body.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<topic>
    <title>
        Title
    <paragraph>
        Body.

transition

The transition element is commonly seen in novels and short fiction, as a gap spanning one or more lines, with or without a type ornament such as a row of asterisks. Transitions separate other body elements, dividing a section into untitled divisions. A transition may not begin or end a section or document, nor may two transitions be immediately adjacent.

See Doctree Representation of Transitions in A Record of reStructuredText Syntax Alternatives.

Details

Category:Structural Subelements
Parents:The following elements may contain transition: document, section
Children:transition is an empty element and has no children.
Analogues:transition is analogous to the HTML "hr" element.
Processing:The transition element is typically rendered as vertical whitespace (more than that separating paragraphs), with or without a horizontal line or row of asterisks. In novels, transitions are often represented as a row of three well-spaced asterisks with vertical space above and below.

Content Model

EMPTY

The transition element has no content; it is a "point element".

Attributes:The transition element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %structure.model; parameter entity directly includes transition.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

Paragraph 1.

--------

Paragraph 2.

Complete pseudo-XML result after parsing:

<document>
    <paragraph>
        Paragraph 1.
    <transition>
    <paragraph>
        Paragraph 2.

version

The version element contains the version number of the document. It can be used alone or in conjunction with revision.

Details

Category:Bibliographic Elements
Parents:Only the docinfo element contains version.
Children:version elements may contain text data plus inline elements.
Analogues:version may be considered analogous to the DocBook "revision", "revnumber", or "biblioid" elements.
Processing:Sometimes used with the RCS/CVS keyword "Revision". See docinfo and revision.

Content Model

%text.model;
Attributes:The version element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %bibliographic.elements; parameter entity directly includes version.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

Document Title
==============

:Version: 1.1

Complete pseudo-XML result after parsing and applying transforms:

<document id="document-title" name="document title">
    <title>
        Document Title
    <docinfo>
        <version>
            1.1

See docinfo for a more complete example, including processing context.

warning

The warning element is an admonition, a distinctive and self-contained notice. Also see the other admonition elements Docutils offers (in alphabetical order): attention, caution, danger, error, hint, important, note, tip.

Details

Category:Compound Body Elements
Parents:All elements employing the %body.elements; or %structure.model; parameter entities in their content models may contain warning.
Children:warning elements contain one or more body elements.
Analogues:warning is analogous to the DocBook "warning" element.
Processing:Rendered distinctly (inset and/or in a box, etc.), with the generated title "Warning" (or similar).

Content Model

(%body.elements;)+
Attributes:The warning element contains only the common attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.
Parameter Entities:
 The %body.elements; parameter entity directly includes warning. The %structure.model; parameter entity indirectly includes warning.

Examples

reStructuredText source:

.. WARNING:: Reader discretion is strongly advised.

Pseudo-XML fragment from simple parsing:

<warning>
    <paragraph>
        Reader discretion is strongly advised.

Attribute Reference

Common Attributes: Through the %basic.atts; parameter entity, all elements contain the following attributes: id, name, dupname, source, and class.

Attribute types:

CDATA
Character data. CDATA attributes may contain arbitrary text.
ID
Like a NMTOKEN, but it must begin with a letter (a "name production"). Identical ID values must not appear more than once in a document; i.e., ID values must uniquely identify their elements.
IDREF
A reference to an ID value (a name production) of another element.
IDREFS
One or more space-separated ID references (name productions).
NMTOKEN
A "name token". One or more of letters, digits, ".", "-", and "_".
NMTOKENS
One or more space-separated NMTOKEN names.
%yesorno;
No if zero ("0"), yes if any other value. This is a parameter entity which resolves to a NMTOKEN attribute type.
%number;
This emphasizes that the attribute value must be a number. This is a parameter entity which resolves to a NMTOKEN attribute type.
enumeration
The attribute value may be one of a specified list of values.

anonymous

Attribute type: %yesorno;. Default value: none (implies no).

The anonymous attribute is used for unnamed hyperlinks in the target and reference elements (via the %anonymous.att; parameter entity).

auto

Attribute type: CDATA. Default value: none.

The auto attribute is used to indicate automatically-numbered footnote, footnote_reference and title elements (via the %auto.att; parameter entity).

backrefs

Attribute type: IDREFS. Default value: none.

The backrefs attribute contains a space-separated list of id references, used for backlinks from footnote, citation, and system_message elements (via the %backrefs.att; parameter entity).

bullet

Attribute type: CDATA. Default value: none.

The bullet attribute is used in the bullet_list element.

class

Attribute type: NMTOKENS. Default value: none.

The class attribute contains one or more names used to classify an element. The purpose of the attribute is to indicate an "is-a" variant relationship, to allow an extensible way of defining sub-classes of existing elements. It can be used to carry context forward between a Docutils Reader and Writer, when a custom structure is reduced to a standardized document tree. One common use is in conjunction with stylesheets, to add selection criteria. It should not be used to carry formatting instructions or arbitrary content.

The class attribute's contents should be ignorable. Writers that are not familiar with the variant expressed should be able to ignore the attribute.

class is one of the common attributes, shared by all Docutils elements.

delimiter

Attribute type: CDATA. Default value: none.

The delimiter attribute is used in the option_argument element.

dupname

Attribute type: NMTOKENS. Default value: none.

The dupname attribute contains the name of an element when there has been a naming conflict. The contents of the dupname attribute would have been transferred from the name attribute. An element may have at most one of the name or dupname attributes, but not both. dupname is one of the common attributes, shared by all Docutils elements.

enumtype

Attribute type: enumeration, one of "arabic", "loweralpha", "upperalpha", "lowerroman", or "upperroman". Default value: none.

The enumtype attribute is used in the enumerated_list element.

id

Attribute type: ID. Default value: none.

The id attribute contains a unique identifier key. id is one of the common attributes, shared by all Docutils elements.

name

Attribute type: NMTOKENS. Default value: none.

The name attribute contains the name of an element, typically originating from the element's title or content. name must be unique; if there are name conflicts (two or more elements want to the same name), the contents will be transferred to the dupname attribute on the duplicate elements. An element may have at most one of the name or dupname attributes, but not both. name is one of the common attributes, shared by all Docutils elements.

prefix

Attribute type: CDATA. Default value: none.

The prefix attribute is used in the enumerated_list element.

refid

Attribute type: IDREF. Default value: none.

The refid attribute contains references to id attributes in other elements. It is used by the target, reference, footnote_reference, citation_reference, title and problematic elements (via the %refid.att; and %reference.atts; parameter entities).

refname

Attribute type: NMTOKENS. Default value: none.

The refname attribute contains an internal reference to the name attribute of another element. On a target element, refname indicates an indirect target which may resolve to either an internal or external reference. refname is used by the target, reference, footnote_reference, citation_reference, and substitution_reference elements (via the %refname.att; and %reference.atts; parameter entities).

refuri

Attribute type: CDATA. Default value: none.

The refuri attribute contains an external reference to a URI/URL. It is used by the target, reference, footnote_reference, and citation_reference elements (via the %reference.atts; parameter entity).

source

Attribute type: CDATA. Default value: none.

The source attribute is used to store the path or URL to the source text that was used to produce the document tree. It is one of the common attributes, shared by all Docutils elements.

start

Attribute type: %number;. Default value: none.

The start attribute is used in the enumerated_list element.

suffix

Attribute type: CDATA. Default value: none.

The suffix attribute is used in the enumerated_list element.

xml:space

Attribute type: one of "default" or "preserve". Default value: "preserve" (fixed).

The xml:space attribute is a standard XML attribute for whitespace-preserving elements. It is used by the literal_block, line_block, doctest_block, comment, and raw elements (via the %fixedspace.att; parameter entity). It is a fixed attribute, meant to communicate to an XML parser that the element contains significant whitespace. The attribute value should not be set in a document instance.

Parameter Entity Reference

Parameter entities are used to simplify the DTD (to share definitions and reduce duplication) and to allow the DTD to be customized by wrapper DTDs (external client DTDs that use or import the Docutils DTD). Parameter entities may be overridden by wrapper DTDs, replacing the definitions below with custom definitions. Parameter entities whose names begin with "additional" are meant to allow easy extension by wrapper DTDs.

%anonymous.att;

The %anonymous.att; parameter entity contains the anonymous attribute, used for unnamed hyperlinks.

Entity definition:

anonymous %yesorno; #IMPLIED

The reference and target elements directly employ the %anonymous.att; parameter entity in their attribute lists.

%auto.att;

The %auto.att; parameter entity contains the auto attribute, used to indicate an automatically-numbered footnote or title.

Entity definition:

auto     CDATA     #IMPLIED

The footnote, footnote_reference, and title elements directly employ the %auto.att; parameter entity in their attribute lists.

%backrefs.att;

The %backrefs.att; parameter entity contains the backrefs attribute, a space-separated list of id references, for backlinks.

Entity definition:

backrefs  IDREFS    #IMPLIED

The citation, footnote, and system_message elements directly employ the %backrefs.att; parameter entity in their attribute lists.

%basic.atts;

The %basic.atts; parameter entity lists attributes common to all Docutils elements. See Common Attributes.

Entity definition:

id       ID        #IMPLIED
name     NMTOKENS  #IMPLIED
dupname  NMTOKENS  #IMPLIED
source   CDATA     #IMPLIED
class    NMTOKENS  #IMPLIED
%additional.basic.atts;

The %additional.basic.atts; parameter entity can be used by wrapper DTDs to extend %basic.atts;.

%bibliographic.elements;

The %bibliographic.elements; parameter entity contains an OR-list of all bibliographic elements.

Entity definition:

author | authors | organization | contact | address
| version | revision | status | date | copyright
| field
%additional.bibliographic.elements;

The %additional.bibliographic.elements; parameter entity can be used by wrapper DTDs to extend %bibliographic.elements;.

Only the docinfo element directly employs the %bibliographic.elements; parameter entity in its content model.

%body.elements;

The %body.elements; parameter entity contains an OR-list of all body elements. %body.elements; is itself contained within the %structure.model; parameter entity.

Entity definition:

paragraph | literal_block | doctest_block | line_block
| block_quote | table | figure | image | footnote | citation
| rubric
| bullet_list | enumerated_list | definition_list | field_list
| option_list
| attention | caution | danger | error | hint | important
| note | tip | warning | admonition
| target | substitution_definition | comment | pending
| system_message | raw
%additional.body.elements;

The %additional.body.elements; parameter entity can be used by wrapper DTDs to extend %body.elements;.

The %body.elements; parameter entity is directly employed in the content models of the following elements: admonition, attention, block_quote, caution, citation, danger, definition, description, entry, error, field_body, footer, footnote, header, hint, important, legend, list_item, note, sidebar, system_message, tip, topic, warning

Via %structure.model;, the %body.elements; parameter entity is indirectly employed in the content models of the document and section elements.

%fixedspace.att;

The %fixedspace.att; parameter entity contains the xml:space attribute, a standard XML attribute for whitespace-preserving elements.

Entity definition:

xml:space (default | preserve) #FIXED 'preserve'

The %fixedspace.att; parameter entity is directly employed in the attribute lists of the following elements: address, comment, doctest_block, line_block, literal_block, raw

%inline.elements;

The %inline.elements; parameter entity contains an OR-list of all inline elements.

Entity definition:

emphasis | strong | literal
| reference | footnote_reference | citation_reference
| substitution_reference | title_reference
| abbreviation | acronym | subscript | superscript
| inline | problematic | generated
| target | image | raw
%additional.inline.elements;

The %additional.inline.elements; parameter entity can be used by wrapper DTDs to extend %inline.elements;.

Via %text.model;, the %inline.elements; parameter entity is indirectly employed in the content models of the following elements: abbreviation, acronym, address, attribution, author, caption, classifier, contact, copyright, date, doctest_block, emphasis, generated, inline, line_block, literal_block, organization, paragraph, problematic, raw, reference, revision, rubric, status, strong, subscript, substitution_definition, substitution_reference, subtitle, superscript, target, term, title, title_reference, version

%reference.atts;

The %reference.atts; parameter entity groups together the refuri, refid, and refname attributes.

Entity definition:

%refuri.att;
%refid.att;
%refname.att;
%additional.reference.atts;

The %additional.reference.atts; parameter entity can be used by wrapper DTDs to extend %additional.reference.atts;.

The citation_reference, footnote_reference, reference, and target elements directly employ the %reference.att; parameter entity in their attribute lists.

%refid.att;

The %refid.att; parameter entity contains the refid attribute, an internal reference to the id attribute of another element.

Entity definition:

refid   CDATA     #IMPLIED

The title and problematic elements directly employ the %refid.att; parameter entity in their attribute lists.

Via %reference.atts;, the %refid.att; parameter entity is indirectly employed in the attribute lists of the citation_reference, footnote_reference, reference, and target elements.

%refname.att;

The %refname.att; parameter entity contains the refname attribute, an internal reference to the name attribute of another element. On a target element, refname indicates an indirect target which may resolve to either an internal or external reference.

Entity definition:

refname  NMTOKENS  #IMPLIED

The substitution_reference element directly employs the %refname.att; parameter entity in its attribute list.

Via %reference.atts;, the %refname.att; parameter entity is indirectly employed in the attribute lists of the citation_reference, footnote_reference, reference, and target elements.

%refuri.att;

The %refuri.att; parameter entity contains the refuri attribute, an external reference to a URI/URL.

Entity definition:

refuri   CDATA     #IMPLIED

Via %reference.atts;, the %refuri.att; parameter entity is indirectly employed in the attribute lists of the citation_reference, footnote_reference, reference, and target elements.

%section.elements;

The %section.elements; parameter entity contains an OR-list of all section-equivalent elements. %section.elements; is itself contained within the %structure.model; parameter entity.

Entity definition:

section
%additional.section.elements;

The %additional.section.elements; parameter entity can be used by wrapper DTDs to extend %section.elements;.

Via %structure.model;, the %section.elements; parameter entity is indirectly employed in the content models of the document and section elements.

%structure.model;

The %structure.model; parameter entity encapsulates the hierarchical structure of a document and of its constituent parts. See the discussion of the element hierarchy above.

Entity definition:

( ( (%body.elements; | topic | sidebar)+,
    (transition, (%body.elements; | topic | sidebar)+ )*,
    (%section.elements;)* )
| (%section.elements;)+ )

Each document or section contains either:

  • multiple body elements, topics, and/or sidebars, optionally interspersed with transitions (but transitions cannot occur at the beginning or end, nor may there be two transitions in a row), followed by zero or more sections; or
  • one or more sections (whose contents are recursively the same as this model).

The %structure.model; parameter entity is directly employed in the content models of the document and section elements.

%text.model;

The %text.model; parameter entity is used by many elements to represent text data mixed with inline elements.

Entity definition:

(#PCDATA | %inline.elements;)*

The %text.model; parameter entity is directly employed in the content models of the following elements: abbreviation, acronym, address, author, caption, classifier, contact, copyright, date, doctest_block, emphasis, generated, line_block, literal_block, organization, paragraph, problematic, raw, reference, revision, status, strong, substitution_definition, substitution_reference, subtitle, target, term, title, version

View document source. Generated on: 2005-02-25 23:46 UTC. Generated by Docutils from reStructuredText source.