| DocBook: The Definitive Guide 2.0.17 (Alpha)

# refsect1

$Revision$

$Date$

refsect1 — A major subsection of a reference entry

## Synopsis

### Content Model

    refsect1 ::=
    (refsect1info?,
     (title,subtitle?,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|msgset|procedure|
        sidebar|qandaset|task|productionset|constraintdef|anchor|
        bridgehead|remark|highlights|abstract|authorblurb|epigraph|
        indexterm|beginpage)+,
       refsect2*)|
      refsect2+))

### Attributes

Common attributes

Name | Type | Default
status | CDATA | None

## Description

Reference pages have their own hierarchical structure. A `RefSect1` is a major division in a `RefEntry`, analagous to a `Sect1` elsewhere in the document.

The value of a separate hierarchical structure is that it allows the content model of sections in reference pages to be customized differently than the content model of sections outside. For example, because of this split, it was easy to add a recursive sectioning element (`Section`) as a peer to `Sect1` in DocBook V3.1 without introducing it to `RefEntry`s, in which it would not be desirable.

### Processing expectations

Formatted as a displayed block.

In some environments, the name, number, and order of major divisions in a reference page is strictly defined by house style. For example, one style requires that the first major section after the synopsis be the “Description,” which it must have as its title.

In those cases, it may be useful to replace `RefSect1` in the content model with a set of named sections (following the pattern of `RefNameDiv` and `RefSynopsisDiv`).

Formatting reference pages may require a fairly sophisticated processing system. Much of the meta-information about a reference page (its name, type, purpose, title, and classification) is stored in wrappers near the beginning of the `RefEntry`.

Common presentational features, such as titles and running headers, may require data from several of these wrappers plus some generated text. Other formatting often requires that these elements be reordered.

### Parents

These elements contain refsect1: `refentry`.

### Children

The following elements occur in refsect1: `abstract`, `address`, `anchor`, `authorblurb`, `beginpage`, `bibliolist`, `blockquote`, `bridgehead`, `calloutlist`, `caution`, `classsynopsis`, `cmdsynopsis`, `constraintdef`, `constructorsynopsis`, `destructorsynopsis`, `epigraph`, `equation`, `example`, `fieldsynopsis`, `figure`, `formalpara`, `funcsynopsis`, `glosslist`, `graphic`, `graphicco`, `highlights`, `important`, `indexterm`, `informalequation`, `informalexample`, `informalfigure`, `informaltable`, `itemizedlist`, `literallayout`, `mediaobject`, `mediaobjectco`, `methodsynopsis`, `msgset`, `note`, `orderedlist`, `para`, `procedure`, `productionset`, `programlisting`, `programlistingco`, `qandaset`, `refsect1info`, `refsect2`, `remark`, `screen`, `screenco`, `screenshot`, `segmentedlist`, `sidebar`, `simpara`, `simplelist`, `subtitle`, `synopsis`, `table`, `task`, `tip`, `title`, `titleabbrev`, `variablelist`, `warning`.

## Attributes

status

  `Status` identifies the editorial or publication status of the `RefSect1`.

  Publication status might be used to control formatting (for example, printing a “draft” watermark on drafts) or processing (perhaps a document with a status of “final” should not include any components that are not final).

## See Also

`refnamediv`, `refsect2`, `refsect3`, `refsection`, `refsynopsisdiv`.

## Examples

For examples, see `refentry`, `reference`.

refpurpose |  | refsect1info

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