Work with attributes
An attribute provides additional information about an XML element. Each attribute consists of a name and a value. Attributes appear in the Structure pane; they are not placed in the document or used as content in the document. Include attributes with elements for the benefit of files and applications that will use the XML files you create in InDesign.
When you tag an image, InDesign automatically creates an href attribute with a value that defines the on-disk location of the image file. This href attribute allows other files and applications to locate the image on disk so it can be displayed.
You can add attributes to any element except the DOCTYPE element (a DTD file), comments, and processing instructions. For example, to include keywords for searching in a downstream application, you can create an attribute called keywords. You could also create attributes to indicate substituted text, track article titles, and record other content-related information.
If you are using a DTD file, view its contents
to see which attributes it allows. Attribute names, like tag names,
must conform to the DTD.
Add an attribute
- Select an element.
- Do one of the following:
-
Click the Add An Attribute button
. -
Choose New Attribute on the Structure pane menu.
-
Right-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac OS) the selected element and choose New Attribute.
-
- Specify a name and a value for the attribute, and then click OK.
Show or hide attributes in the Structure pane
Choose Show Attributes
or Hide Attributes from the Structure pane menu.
You may need to click the triangle icon next to an element to display its attributes.