DocBook: The Definitive Guide By Norman Walsh & Leonard Muellner 1st Edition October 1999 1-56592-580-7, Order Number: 5807 652 pages, $36.95 , Includes CD-ROM

DocBook: The Definitive Guide
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Parameter

Name

Parameter -- A value or a symbolic reference to a value

Synopsis

Mixed Content Model

Parameter ::=
((#PCDATA|Link|OLink|ULink|Action|Application|ClassName|Command|
  ComputerOutput|Database|Email|EnVar|ErrorCode|ErrorName|
  ErrorType|Filename|Function|GUIButton|GUIIcon|GUILabel|GUIMenu|
  GUIMenuItem|GUISubmenu|Hardware|Interface|InterfaceDefinition|
  KeyCap|KeyCode|KeyCombo|KeySym|Literal|Constant|Markup|
  MediaLabel|MenuChoice|MouseButton|MsgText|Option|Optional|
  Parameter|Prompt|Property|Replaceable|ReturnValue|SGMLTag|
  StructField|StructName|Symbol|SystemItem|Token|Type|UserInput|
  VarName|Anchor|Comment|Subscript|Superscript|InlineGraphic|
  InlineMediaObject|IndexTerm)+)

Attributes

Common attributes

Name	Type	Default
Class	Enumeration: Command Function Option	None
MoreInfo	Enumeration: None RefEntry	"None"

Tag Minimization

Both the start- and end-tags are required for this element.

Parameter Entities

%cptr.char.mix;	%ndxterm.char.mix;	%para.char.mix;
%programlisting.content;	%refinline.char.mix;	%refname.char.mix;
%screen.content;	%tbl.entry.mdl;	%tech.char.class;
%title.char.mix;

Description

A Parameter identifies something passed from one part of a computer system to another. In this regard Parameter is fairly generic, but it may have a more constrained semantic in some contexts (for example in a ParamDef).

In an document that describes more than one kind of parameter, for example, parameters to functions and commands, the Class attribute can be used to distinguish between them, if necessary.

Processing expectations

Formatted inline. The MoreInfo attribute can help generate a link or query to retrieve additional information.

 Future Changes

In DocBook V4.0, the content model of Parameter will be constrained to (#PCDATA | Replaceable | InlineGraphic).

Parents

These elements contain Parameter: Action, Application, Attribution, BiblioMisc, BridgeHead, Citation, CiteTitle, Command, Comment, ComputerOutput, Database, Emphasis, entry, Filename, ForeignPhrase, FuncParams, FuncSynopsisInfo, Function, GlossSee, GlossSeeAlso, GlossTerm, Hardware, Interface, InterfaceDefinition, KeyCap, LineAnnotation, Link, Literal, LiteralLayout, LoTentry, Member, MsgAud, OLink, Option, Optional, Para, ParamDef, Parameter, Phrase, Primary, PrimaryIE, ProductName, ProgramListing, Property, Quote, RefDescriptor, RefEntryTitle, RefName, RefPurpose, Screen, ScreenInfo, Secondary, SecondaryIE, See, SeeAlso, SeeAlsoIE, SeeIE, Seg, SegTitle, SimPara, Subtitle, Synopsis, SystemItem, Term, Tertiary, TertiaryIE, Title, TitleAbbrev, ToCback, ToCentry, ToCfront, Trademark, ULink, UserInput.

Children

The following elements occur in Parameter: Action, Anchor, Application, ClassName, Command, Comment, ComputerOutput, Constant, Database, Email, EnVar, ErrorCode, ErrorName, ErrorType, Filename, Function, GUIButton, GUIIcon, GUILabel, GUIMenu, GUIMenuItem, GUISubmenu, Hardware, IndexTerm, InlineGraphic, InlineMediaObject, Interface, InterfaceDefinition, KeyCap, KeyCode, KeyCombo, KeySym, Link, Literal, Markup, MediaLabel, MenuChoice, MouseButton, MsgText, OLink, Option, Optional, Parameter, Prompt, Property, Replaceable, ReturnValue, SGMLTag, StructField, StructName, Subscript, Superscript, Symbol, SystemItem, Token, Type, ULink, UserInput, VarName.

In some contexts, the following elements are allowed anywhere: BeginPage, IndexTerm.

In some contexts, the following elements are excluded: IndexTerm.

Attributes

Class

Class indicates the type of Parameter.

MoreInfo

If MoreInfo is set to RefEntry, it implies that a RefEntry exists which further describes the Parameter.

See Also

ComputerOutput, Constant, FuncDef, FuncParams, FuncPrototype, FuncSynopsisInfo, Function, Literal, Markup, Option, Optional, ParamDef, Prompt, Replaceable, ReturnValue, SGMLTag, UserInput, VarArgs, VarName, Void

Examples

<!DOCTYPE para PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook V3.1//EN">
<para>
Using the <parameter class=command>/w</parameter> parameter on the
DOS <command>dir</command> command prints a wide directory listing.
</para>

Using the /w parameter on the DOS dir command prints a wide directory listing.

For additional examples, see also FuncDef, FuncSynopsis, ParamDef.

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