Adobe FrameMaker User Guide
Click here to see this page in full context
Home > Appendix > DITA 1.3 specification > Language reference: All-inclusive edition > Technical content elements > Technical-content domains elements > Programming elements
The programming domain elements are used to define the syntax for programming languages. They also can be used to provide examples.
<apiname> element provides the name of an application programming interface (API) such as a Java class name or method name. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<codeblock> element represents lines of program code. Like the <pre> element, line endings and spaces inside the element are preserved, and the content is typically rendered in a monospaced font. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<codeph> element represents a snippet of code within the main flow of text. The code phrase is displayed in a monospaced font for emphasis. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<coderef> element references an external file that contains literal code. When evaluated, the <coderef> element causes the target code to be displayed inline. If the target contains non-XML characters such as '<' or '&', those will need to be handled in a way that they can be displayed correctly by the final rendering engine. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<option> element describes an option that can be used to modify a command (or something else, like a configuration). This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<parmname> element is used to reference the name of an application programming interface parameter within the text flow of a topic. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<parml> element contains a list of terms and definitions that describes the parameters in an application programming interface. This is a special kind of definition list that is designed for documenting programming parameters. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<plentry> element contains one or more parameter terms and definitions (<pt> and <pd>). This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<pt> element specifies a parameter term within a parameter list entry. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<pd> element specifies a parameter definition within a parameter list entry. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<synph> (syntax phrase) element is a container for syntax definition elements. It is used when a complete syntax diagram is not needed, but some of the syntax elements, such as <kwd>, <oper>, or <delim> are used within the text flow of the topic content. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<syntaxdiagram> element is the main container for all the syntax elements that make up a syntax definition. The syntax diagram represents the syntax of a statement from a computer language or a command, function call, or programming language statement. Traditionally, the syntax diagram is formatted with "railroad tracks" that connect the units of the syntax together, but the presentation might differ depending on the output media. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<groupseq> element is part of the subset of elements that define syntax diagrams in DITA. A group is a logical set of pieces of syntax that go together. Within the syntax definition, groups of keywords, delimiters and other syntax units act as a combined unit, and they occur in a specific sequence, as delimited by the <groupseq> element. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<groupchoice> element is part of the subset of elements that define syntax diagrams in DITA. A group is a logical set of pieces of syntax that go together. A group choice specifies that the user must make a choice about which part of the syntax to use. Groups are often nested. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<groupcomp> element is part of the subset of elements that define syntax diagrams in DITA. A group is a logical set of pieces of syntax that go together. The group composite means that the items that make up the syntax diagram will be formatted close together rather than being separated by a horizontal or vertical line, which is the usual formatting method. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<fragment> element contains a labeled subpart of the syntax within a <syntaxdiagram>. The <fragment> element allows breaking out logical chunks of a large syntax diagram into named fragments. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<fragref> element provides a logical reference to a <fragment> element within a syntax diagram, so that you can reference a syntax fragment multiple times or pull a large section of syntax out of line for easier reading. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<synblk> (syntax block) element organizes small pieces of a syntax definition into a larger piece. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<synnote> element contains a note (similar to a footnote) within a syntax definition group or fragment. The syntax note explains aspects of the syntax that cannot be expressed in the markup itself. The note will appear at the bottom of the syntax diagram instead of at the bottom of the page. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<synnoteref> element references a syntax note element (<synnote>) that has already been defined elsewhere in the syntax diagram. The same notation can be used in more than one syntax definition. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<kwd> element defines a keyword within a syntax diagram. A keyword is typed or output, either by the user or application, exactly as specified in the syntax definition. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<var> element defines a variable within a syntax diagram for which the user must supply content, such as their user name or password. Processors typically represent the <var> element in output in an italic font, but are not required to do so. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<oper> element defines an operator within a syntax definition. Typical operators are equals (=), plus (+) or multiply (*). This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<delim> element defines a character marking the beginning or end of a section within a syntax diagram. Typical delimiter characters are the parenthesis, comma, tab, vertical bar or other special characters. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<sep> element defines a separator character that is inline with the content of a syntax diagram. The separator occurs between keywords, operators or groups in a syntax definition. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.<repsep> element provides a repeat separator character within a syntax diagram to indicate that a group of syntax elements can (or should) be repeated. If the <repsep> element contains a separator character such as a plus (+), this indicates that the character must be used between repetitions of the syntax elements. This element is part of the DITA programming domain, a special set of DITA elements designed to document programming tasks, concepts, and reference information.