DocBook 5: The Definitive Guide

Name

refdescriptor — A description of the topic of a reference page

Synopsis

refdescriptor ::= (text | Bibliography inlines | Error inlines | Graphic inlines | GUI inlines | Indexing inlines | Keyboard inlines | Linking inlines | Markup inlines | Math inlines | Object-oriented programming inlines | Operating system inlines | Product inlines | Programming inlines | Publishing inlines | Technical inlines | Ubiquitous inlines)*

Attribute synopsis

Common attributes and common linking attributes.

Description

Reference pages (refentrys) are usually identified by a short, succinct topic name, such as the name of a function or command. The refname (or one of the refnames, in the case of a reference page that has several) is generally used as the topic name. When none of the refnames is appropriate, refdescriptor is used to specify the topic name.

A refdescriptor is unnecessary when an appropriate refname can be selected automatically. At least one refname is required, so refdescriptor cannot be used in place of a name, only in addition to it.

Processing expectations

May be formatted inline or as a displayed block, depending on context.

Formatting reference pages may require a fairly sophisticated processing system. Much of the meta-information about a reference page (its name, type, purpose, title, and classification) is stored in wrappers near the beginning of the refentry.

Common presentational features, such as titles and running heads, may require data from several of these wrappers plus some ...