Using Basic CNXML in Edit-In-Place
Summary: This document introduces simple CNXML tags that are easy to use in Edit-in-Place.
- Links
-
Example links
Supplemental links
Please Note: This module also contains information derived from The Advanced CNXML by Ricardo Radaelli-Sanchez.
Starting with CNXML
To create the bare bones of content in Connexions, the author interface provides a variety of creation tools: the Document Importer, Edit-In-Place, and even a full-source editor. However, a basic knowledge of our markup language can help make small edits into tremendous enhancements to your material!
The Connexions Project
uses the Connexions Markup Language (CNXML) as its primary
language for marking up and storing documents. CNXML is lightweight XML for
marking up educational content. Unlike the well-known HTML, the goal of CNXML is to convey
the content of the material and not a particular presentation. For example, say you have the following sentence: I like cupcakes very much. However, you feel that you enthusiasm for cupcakes has not been fully expressed. In HTML, you would use bold, underline, italic, etc.; in CNXML, you would use the emphasis tag.
Inline Tags
Inline tags, such as emphasis, are used to embed content and functionality inside the structural tags, such as paragraphs. Some of the more commonly used tags are discussed below.
Emphasis
As mentioned previously, the
emphasis tag is used to
accent certain text. Note that this refers to semantic
emphasis and not a typeface. Different stylesheets
can render emphasis with different typefaces.
Example 1
<para id='intro'> Gardenias are my absolute <emphasis>favorite</emphasis> flower. Their petals are soft, and their bloom has an absolutely <emphasis>heavenly</emphasis> scent. </para>
The above markup will display as:
Gardenias are my absolute favorite flower. Their petals are soft, and their bloom has an absolutely heavenly scent.
Term
The
term tag is used to mark
words or phrases which are being defined. However, its
use is confined to either a para or definition tag. The term tag has one optional
attribute: src - a URL
specifying the source or definition of the
term.Example 2
<para id='gardenia'> <term src="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardenia">Gardenias</term> can be tricky to maintain. The soil around the roots of a <term>gardenia</term> must remain moist always, but too much water can damage the plant. Also, <term>gardenias</term> enjoy the sun, but if the <emphasis>foliage</emphasis> gets wet to bring the gardenia into the shade. </para>
The above markup will display as:
Gardenias
can be tricky to maintain. The soil around the roots of a
gardenia must remain moist always, but too much water
can damage the plant. Also, gardenias enjoy the sun,
but if the foliage gets wet to bring the
gardenia into the shade.
Note
The
note tag creates an "out
of line" note (which could be a warning,
point of interest, etc.) to the reader. The type of note is specified
by an optional type attribute. If a type is not specified, the default is Note.
Example 3
<para id='pollen'> Receiving flowers is, on the whole, a wonderful thing. However, sometimes pollen from the flowers can cause problems. In particular, the clean up of a bit of pollen can be tricky. <note type="Important">Do not use water when cleaning up pollen! This can lead to counter-top and clothing stains!</note> Your best bet is to use a dry method of cleaning with a paper-towel. </para>
The above markup will display as:
Receiving flowers is, on the whole, a wonderful thing. However, sometimes pollen from the flowers can cause problems. In particular, the clean up of a bit of pollen can be tricky.
Important: Do not use water when cleaning up pollen! This can lead to counter-top and clothing stains!
Your best bet is to use a dry method of cleaning, with a paper-towel, for example.CNXN and Link
The
cnxn and link tags are
used for linking to other documents. The cnxn tag is specifically used for linking to
other documents in the Connexions system, while the link tag is
used for linking to general documents on the internet.
The
cnxn tag has four
attributes:
-
target- targets a specific tag within a document -
document- targets a specific document by its ID -
version- targets a specific version of a document -
strength- designates the degree to which the linked information is related to the current document
version attribute is
optional. When not specified the cnxn will default the
link to the most current version of the document. If
you specify a specific version of a document, it will
never change, meaning important parts, such as
paragraphs or figures, will not disappear without
warning. On the other hand, you will not see any updated information in that document if you specify the version.
The
target and document attributes can be used
together or alone. If both are used then you will link
to a particular place in another document. If only document is used, you will link to
a document as a whole. If only target is used, you will link to a
particular tag within the current document.
The
strength attribute is
optional and can give the reader an indication of how
related the additional information is to the current
discussion.
Example 4: CNXN Example
The cnxn tag does not have to have a description of
the destination in order to be used. For example,
say you want to link to a figure. You could you
use a cnxn similar to the one below:
<cnxn target='tbonefig' document="m10278"/>
The above markup will display as:
Notice how the display says "(Reference)". When you point to something that it not within the document, this will be the display. However, pointing to a tag within the document has a different display:
<cnxn target="element-852"/>
 Figure 1: Picture taken by Jennifer Drummond (CC Attribution). |
Using an empty cnxn tag like this is an easy way to point to a specific part of a document; all the numbering is done for you, and if you need to insert a new figure in the middle of the document, the numbering will change automatically.
Example 5: CNXN example
Also, you can use your own text instead of the autogenerated text:
<cnxn target='element-852'>Momosa Picture</cnxn>
The above markup will display as:
The
link tag, on the other
hand, has only a required src
tag which contains a URL for the target online document.
Example 6: Link Example
<para id='moretips'> For more gardening tips, see <link src="http://www.bhg.com/bhg/gardening/index.jhtml">Better Homes and Gardens' Garden Section</link>. </para>
The above markup will display as:
For more gardening tips, see Better Homes and Gardens' Garden Section.
Cite
The
cite tag is used to refer
to non-electronic materials within a document, and primarily
contains the title, the author, and/or a page number of a work.
Example 7: Cite Example
Finally, a good resource is the <cite>Garden Lover's Cookbook -- William M. Rice; Paperback</cite>.
The above markup will display as:
Finally, a good resource is the Garden Lover's Cookbook -- William M. Rice; Paperback.
Quote
The
quote tag is used to
denote that some text directly quotes another
source. The quote tag has a type attribute which denotes
whether the quote is inline
or block.
Example 8: Quote Example
<para id='steakquote'> Every plant needs a different amount of water in order to grow well. <quote>"If you water each plant the same, you will always water too much and too little."</quote> Also, remember the words of Lou Erickson: <quote type='block'>"Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration."</quote> </para>Every plant needs a different amount of water in order to grow well. "If you water each plant the same, you will always water too much and too little." Also, remember the words of Lou Erickson:
"Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration."
Foreign
The
foreign tag is used to
denote that a word or phrase foreign to the language of the document is being used.
Example 9: Foreign Example
<para id='steakquote2'> All flowers have a scientific name, often derived from latin. <foreign>Gardenia augusta</foreign> is the name of a type of gardenia found in Japan. </para>All flowers have a scientific name, often derived from latin. Gardenia augusta is the name of a type of gardenia found in Japan.
Code
The
code tag is used to insert example computer
output/input as either inline text within a paragraph or as a
block of text. The code tag has a type
attribute with two possible values:
-
inline(default) - used to specify code that is inline. -
block- used to specify code that should be in a separate block of text.
Example 10: Inline Code Example
For now, take a look at what the inline code looks like:
<para id='copy'> In a unix terminal the command to copy a file is <code type='inline'>cp original copy</code>. </para>
In a unix terminal the command to copy a file is
cp original copy
You will see more about code blocks in Advanced CNXML using Edit-In-Place.
Comments, questions, feedback, criticisms?
Discussion forum
Send feedback
More about this content: Metadata | Version History | Cite This Content
This work is licensed by Elizabeth Gregory. See the Creative Commons License about permission to reuse this material.
Last edited by Elizabeth Gregory on Mar 20, 2007 12:10 pm GMT-5.