<term>

A term is a word or phrase that has specific meanings in certain contexts. It might have or require extended definitions or explanations.

Usage information

The @keyref attribute can be used in conjunction with the <term> element to accomplish the following:

  • Supply the text content for the <term> element
  • Associate a term with a resource, typically a definition of the term

Content model

(Text | <draft-comment> | <required-cleanup> | <text> | <tm>)*

Contained by

<abstract>, <alt>, <author>, <b>, <bodydiv>, <brand>, <category>, <cite>, <component>, <consequence>, <coords>, <copyrholder>, <data>, <dd>, <ddhd>, <desc>, <div>, <draft-comment>, <dt>, <dthd>, <em>, <entry>, <example>, <fallback>, <featnum>, <figgroup>, <fn>, <howtoavoid>, <i>, <index-see>, <index-see-also>, <indexterm>, <li>, <line-through>, <lines>, <linkinfo>, <linktext>, <linktitle>, <lq>, <navtitle>, <note>, <overline>, <p>, <ph>, <platform>, <pre>, <prodname>, <prognum>, <publisher>, <q>, <searchtitle>, <section>, <series>, <shortdesc>, <sli>, <source>, <stentry>, <strong>, <sub>, <subtitle>, <sup>, <title>, <titlealt>, <titlehint>, <tt>, <typeofhazard>, <u>, <xref>

Zero or more of the following

Contained by

Inheritance

- topic/term

The <term> element is a base element type. It is defined in the topic module.

Attributes

The following attributes are available on this element: universal attributes and @keyref.

The following attributes are available on this element: universal attributes and the attributes defined below.

@keyref
Specifies a key name that acts as a redirectable reference based on a key definition within a map. See The keyref attribute for information on using this attribute.

Example

This section is non-normative.

The following code samples shows how the <term> element can be used

Example 1. Simple use of the <term> element

In the following code sample, the <term> element is used simply to identify that reference implementation is a term:

<p>A <term>reference implementation</term> of DITA implements the standard, 
fallback behaviors intended for DITA elements.</p>
Example 2. The <term> element used to reference an external definition

In the following code sample, the <term> element is used to reference an external resource that defines the term:

<p>A <term keyref="reference-implementation">reference implementation</term> of DITA 
implements the standard, fallback behaviors intended for DITA elements.</p>

When combined with the following key definition, processors might render the phrase reference implementation as a hyperlink to the associated Wikipedia page:

<map>
  <title>Information about DITA</title>
  <keydef keys="reference-implementation"
          href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reference_implementation"
          format="html" scope="external"/>
  <!-- ... -->
</map>