<refentry id="variablelist.element">
<?dbhtml filename="variablelist.html"?>
<refentryinfo>
<pubdate>$Date$</pubdate>
<releaseinfo>$Revision$</releaseinfo>
</refentryinfo>

<refmeta>
<indexterm><primary>elements</primary>
<secondary>variablelist</secondary></indexterm>
<refentrytitle>variablelist</refentrytitle>
<refmiscinfo>Element</refmiscinfo>
</refmeta>
<refnamediv>
<refname>variablelist</refname>
<refpurpose>&variablelist.purpose;</refpurpose>
</refnamediv>

&variablelist.synopsis.gen;
<refsect1 condition='ref.description'><title>Description</title>

<para>
A <sgmltag>VariableList</sgmltag> is a list consisting of <sgmltag>Term</sgmltag>s and
their definitions or descriptions.
</para>

<refsect2><title>Processing expectations</title>
<para>
&format.block;
</para>
<para>
There are many ways to deal with the problems presented in
formatting a variable list with long <sgmltag>Term</sgmltag>s. DocBook
does not mandate any particular presentation. The 
<sgmltag class='attribute'>TermLength</sgmltag> attribute may influence
the presentation of <sgmltag>Term</sgmltag>s.
</para>
</refsect2>

<refsect2 role='fu' revision="5.0"><title>&FutureChanges;</title>
<para>Introductory material may appear before the first list item.
</para>
</refsect2>


&variablelist.parents.gen;
&variablelist.children.gen;
</refsect1>
<refsect1 condition='ref.elem.attrdesc'><title>Attributes</title>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry><term>termlength</term>
<listitem>
<para>
<sgmltag class="attribute">TermLength</sgmltag> indicates a length beyond
which the presentation engine may consider the <sgmltag>Term</sgmltag>(s) too
long and select an alternate presentation of the <sgmltag>Term</sgmltag>(s)
and/or, the associated <sgmltag>ListItem</sgmltag>.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect1>
<refsect1 condition='ref.elem.seealso'><title>See Also</title>
&variablelist.seealso.gen;
</refsect1>
<refsect1><title>Examples</title>

<informalexample role="example-source">
<programlisting>&variablelist.example.1.txt;</programlisting>
</informalexample>

<anchor id="ex.os.variablelist.1" role="HACK-ex.out.start"/>
&variablelist.example.1.gen;
<anchor id="ex.oe.variablelist.1" role="HACK-ex.out.end"/>

&variablelist.example.seealso.gen;
</refsect1>
</refentry>

