<refentry id="textobject.element" revision='3.1'>
<?dbhtml filename="textobject.html"?>
<refentryinfo>
<pubdate>$Date$</pubdate>
<releaseinfo>$Revision$</releaseinfo>
</refentryinfo>

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

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

<para>
A <sgmltag>TextObject</sgmltag> is a wrapper containing a textual description
of a media object, and its associated meta-information.
<sgmltag>TextObject</sgmltag>s are only allowed in <sgmltag>MediaObject</sgmltag>s as
a fall-back option, they cannot be the primary content.
</para>

<para>
There are two different forms of <sgmltag>TextObject</sgmltag>, and it is
not unreasonable for a media object to contain both of them.
</para>

<para>
In the first form, the content of a <sgmltag>TextObject</sgmltag> is
simply a <sgmltag>Phrase</sgmltag>. This form is a mechanism for
providing a simple <quote>alt text</quote> for a media object. The
phrase might be used, for example, as the value of the
<sgmltag class='attribute'>ALT</sgmltag> attribute on an &HTML; <sgmltag>IMG</sgmltag>,
with the primary content of the image coming from one of the other
objects in the media object.
</para>

<para>
In the second form, the content of <sgmltag>TextObject</sgmltag> is a longer,
prose description.  This form could be used when rendering to devices
that are incapable of displaying any of the other alternatives.
</para>

<refsect2 id="dbreproc.textobject"><title>Processing expectations</title>
<para>
&format.context; It might not be rendered at all, depending on its placement
within a <sgmltag>MediaObject</sgmltag> or <sgmltag>InlineMediaObject</sgmltag> and
the constraints on the publishing system.  For a more detailed description
of the semantics involved, see <sgmltag>MediaObject</sgmltag>.
</para>
</refsect2> 


&textobject.parents.gen;
&textobject.children.gen;
</refsect1>
<refsect1 condition='ref.elem.seealso'><title>See Also</title>
&textobject.seealso.gen;
</refsect1>
<refsect1><title>Examples</title>

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

