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

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

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

<para>
<sgmltag>Preface</sgmltag> is a preface or forward in a <sgmltag>Book</sgmltag>.  The
<sgmltag>Preface</sgmltag> element may appear more than once and should be
used for all introductory chapter-like material.  For example, a
<sgmltag>Book</sgmltag> might have both a <emphasis>Foreward</emphasis> and an
<emphasis>Introduction</emphasis>.  Both should be tagged as
<sgmltag>Preface</sgmltag>s in DocBook.
</para>

<refsect2><title>Processing expectations</title>
<para>
&format.block; Usually introduces a forced page break and often
starts on the next recto page. It is common for the page numbers
in prefaces to be displayed as roman numerals rather than arabic
numerals. <sgmltag>Preface</sgmltag>s are usually listed in the Table
of Contents.
</para>
</refsect2>


&preface.parents.gen;
&preface.children.gen;
</refsect1>
<refsect1 condition='ref.elem.attrdesc'><title>Attributes</title>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry><term>status</term>
<listitem>
<para>
<sgmltag class="attribute">Status</sgmltag> identifies the editorial or publication 
status of the <sgmltag>Preface</sgmltag>.
</para>
<para>
Publication status might be used to control formatting (for example,
printing a <quote>draft</quote> watermark on drafts) or processing (perhaps
a document with a status of <quote>final</quote> should not include any
components that are not final).
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</refsect1>
<refsect1 condition='ref.elem.seealso'><title>See Also</title>
&preface.seealso.gen;
</refsect1>
<refsect1><title>Examples</title>

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

