Definition list

A definition list is a list of items and their corresponding definitions.

Syntax

The syntax for representing this component varies depending on the authoring format.

Authoring format Syntax Example
XDITA <dl> 
<dl>
  <dlentry>
    <dt>Initial investment</dt>
    <dd>$700 (includes initial franchise fee)</dd>
  </dlentry>
  <dlentry>
    <dt>Franchise fee</dt>
    <dd>$200</dd>
  </dlentry>
</dl>
HDITA <dl> 
<dl>
  <dt>Initial investment</dt>
  <dd>$700 (includes initial franchise fee)</dd>
  <dt>Franchise fee</dt>
  <dd>$200</dd>
</dl>
MDITA Each definition pair uses the following format:
  • A line that contains the term
  • A second line that starts with a colon (:) and follows with the definition
Each definition pair must be separated by a blank line		 
raspberry
: edible fruit of plant species in the genus Rubus of the rose family

blackberry
: edible fruit of species in the genus Rubus in the family Rosaceae

Rendering expectations

A definition list is typically rendered in the following way:

  • The definition term is located against the starting margin of the page or column.
  • The definition description is indented. It is located either on the same line as the definition term, or it is placed on the next line.

Attributes

The available attributes vary based on the authoring format:

XDITA and HDITA
The following attributes are available on this element: ID attributes, localization attributes, universal attributes, and @props.
MDITA
There is no attribute support for the MDITA core profile. For the MDITA extended profile, attributes can be specified by using the HDITA representation.

Examples

This section is non-normative.

Example 1. XDITA example

The following example demonstrates the use of a definition list in an XDITA topic.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE topic PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD LIGHTWEIGHT DITA Topic//EN" "lw-topic.dtd">
<topic id="franchise-terms">
  <title>Profit, fun, and flavor under the same brand</title>
  <body>
    <dl>
      <dlentry>
        <dt>Initial investment:</dt>
        <dd><p>$700 (includes initial franchise fee)</p></dd>
      </dlentry>
      <dlentry>
        <dt>Franchise fee:</dt>
        <dd><p>$200</p></dd>
      </dlentry>
    </dl>
  </body>
</topic>
Example 2. HDITA example

The following example demonstrates the use of a (need article??) definition list in an HDITA topic.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<title>Profit, fun, and flavor under the same brand</title>
<body>
  <article id="franchise-terms">
    <h1>Profit, fun, and flavor under the same brand</h1>
    <dl>
      <dt>Initial investment:</dt>
      <dd>
        <p>$700 (includes initial franchise fee)</p>
      </dd>
      <dt>Franchise fee:</dt>
      <dd>
        <p>$200</p>
      </dd>
    </dl>
  </article>
</body>
Example 3. MDITA example

The following example demonstrates the use of a definition list text in an MDITA extended profile topic.

# Profit, fun, and flavor under the same brand

Initial investment
: $700 (includes initial franchise fee)

Franchise fee
: $200