| DocBook: The Definitive Guide 2.0.17 (Alpha)

# sidebar

$Revision$

$Date$

sidebar — A portion of a document that is isolated from the main narrative flow

## Synopsis

### Content Model

    sidebar ::=
    (sidebarinfo?,
     (title,titleabbrev?)?,
     (calloutlist|glosslist|bibliolist|itemizedlist|orderedlist|
      segmentedlist|simplelist|variablelist|caution|important|note|
      tip|warning|literallayout|programlisting|programlistingco|
      screen|screenco|screenshot|synopsis|cmdsynopsis|funcsynopsis|
      classsynopsis|fieldsynopsis|constructorsynopsis|
      destructorsynopsis|methodsynopsis|formalpara|para|simpara|
      address|blockquote|graphic|graphicco|mediaobject|mediaobjectco|
      informalequation|informalexample|informalfigure|informaltable|
      equation|example|figure|table|procedure|anchor|bridgehead|
      remark|highlights|indexterm|beginpage)+)

### Attributes

Common attributes

## Description

A `Sidebar` is a short piece of text, rarely longer than a single column or page, that is presented outside the narrative flow of the main text.

Sidebars are often used for digressions or interesting observations that are related, but not directly relevant, to the main text.

### Processing expectations

Formatted as a displayed block. `Sidebar`s are sometimes boxed.

DocBook does not specify the location of the `Sidebar` within the final displayed flow of text. The wrapper may float or remain where it is located.

### Parents

These elements contain sidebar: `appendix`, `article`, `bibliodiv`, `bibliography`, `blockquote`, `callout`, `caution`, `chapter`, `constraintdef`, `glossary`, `glossdiv`, `important`, `index`, `listitem`, `msgexplan`, `msgtext`, `note`, `partintro`, `preface`, `procedure`, `refsect1`, `refsect2`, `refsect3`, `refsection`, `refsynopsisdiv`, `sect1`, `sect2`, `sect3`, `sect4`, `sect5`, `section`, `setindex`, `simplesect`, `step`, `taskprerequisites`, `taskrelated`, `tasksummary`, `tip`, `warning`.

### Children

The following elements occur in sidebar: `address`, `anchor`, `beginpage`, `bibliolist`, `blockquote`, `bridgehead`, `calloutlist`, `caution`, `classsynopsis`, `cmdsynopsis`, `constructorsynopsis`, `destructorsynopsis`, `equation`, `example`, `fieldsynopsis`, `figure`, `formalpara`, `funcsynopsis`, `glosslist`, `graphic`, `graphicco`, `highlights`, `important`, `indexterm`, `informalequation`, `informalexample`, `informalfigure`, `informaltable`, `itemizedlist`, `literallayout`, `mediaobject`, `mediaobjectco`, `methodsynopsis`, `note`, `orderedlist`, `para`, `procedure`, `programlisting`, `programlistingco`, `remark`, `screen`, `screenco`, `screenshot`, `segmentedlist`, `sidebarinfo`, `simpara`, `simplelist`, `synopsis`, `table`, `tip`, `title`, `titleabbrev`, `variablelist`, `warning`.

## See Also

`abstract`, `blockquote`, `epigraph`, `highlights`.

## Examples

    <!DOCTYPE sect1 PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.1.2//EN"
              "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.1.2/docbookx.dtd">
    <sect1><title>An Example Section</title>

    <para>
    Some narrative text.
    </para>

    <sidebar><title>A Sidebar</title>
    <para>
    Sidebar content.
    </para>
    </sidebar>

    <para>
    The continuing flow of the narrative text, as if the
    sidebar was not present.
    </para>

    </sect1>

shortcut |  | sidebarinfo

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