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Using Basic CNXML in Edit-In-Place

Module by: Elizabeth Gregory, Connexions. E-mail the authors

Based on: The Basic CNXML by Ricardo Radaelli-Sanchez, Brent Hendricks

Summary: This document introduces simple CNXML tags that are easy to use in Edit-in-Place.

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!

Connexions 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: URL - a URL specifying the source or definition of the term.

Example 2


<para id='gardenia'>
  <term url="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 to the reader. The type of note is specified by an optional type attribute. If a type is not specified, the default is Note. The type attribute can contain any of the following values:

  • note
  • aside
  • warning
  • tip
  • important

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.

Link

The link tag is the tag in CNXML used for linking to other Connexions modules or collections as well as external links.

  • strength: The Strength attribute can contain the value 1, 2, or 3 specifying the relevance of the link.
  • window: The Window attribute determines the manner in which the link location will be opened. It can contain the values "Replace" or "New". "Replace" will result in the link location opening in the current window replacing the page with the link. "New" will result in the link location opening in a new browser window.
  • url: The URL attribute can contain the web address of the link you wish to reference.
  • document: The Document attribute is used to reference the ids of other Connexions modules or Collections.
  • target-id: The Target-id attribute is used to reference the ids of specific elements within Connexions modules.
  • resource:
  • version: The Version attribute is used to reference a specific version of a Connexions module or collection.

The target and document attributes can be used together or alone. If both are used then you will link to a particular tag in another document. If only document is used, you will link to another document. If only target is used, you will link to a particular tag within the current document.

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 4: 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 display attribute which denotes whether the quote is inline or block.

Example 5: Quote Example


<para id='plantquote'>
  Every plant needs a different amount of water in order to 
  grow well. <quote display="inline">"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 id="quote_example" display='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 6: Foreign Example


<para id='plantquote2'>
  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 display 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 7: 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 display='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.

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Definition of a lens

Lenses

A lens is a custom view of the content in the repository. You can think of it as a fancy kind of list that will let you see content through the eyes of organizations and people you trust.

What is in a lens?

Lens makers point to materials (modules and collections), creating a guide that includes their own comments and descriptive tags about the content.

Who can create a lens?

Any individual member, a community, or a respected organization.

What are tags? tag icon

Tags are descriptors added by lens makers to help label content, attaching a vocabulary that is meaningful in the context of the lens.

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| A lens I own (?)

Definition of a lens

Lenses

A lens is a custom view of the content in the repository. You can think of it as a fancy kind of list that will let you see content through the eyes of organizations and people you trust.

What is in a lens?

Lens makers point to materials (modules and collections), creating a guide that includes their own comments and descriptive tags about the content.

Who can create a lens?

Any individual member, a community, or a respected organization.

What are tags? tag icon

Tags are descriptors added by lens makers to help label content, attaching a vocabulary that is meaningful in the context of the lens.

| External bookmarks