Inline-Level Formatting Objects

In addition to the block objects in XSL-FO, you can also create inline objects. An inline object represents part of a larger formatting region, such as a block; for example, it might represent a word or two in a block. Inline objects are usually used to format part of the text as that text follows the normal flow in the page. For example, you can make the first character in a paragraph larger, make the whole first line blue, insert page numbers, add images, and so on.

One reason you might create inline objects is to format parts of a block’s text; for example, in Chapter 11, you saw the following use of the text-decorationproperty of <fo:inline>to underline text:

 <xsl:template match="PLANET/MASS"> <fo:block font-size="24pt" ...

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