<glossSurfaceForm>

The <glossSurfaceForm> element specifies how the term that is specified by the <glossterm> element should appear in the text. The surface form is suitable to introduce the term in new contexts or as the first occurrence.

Usage information

The <glossSurfaceForm> element is most often used for terms that also specify the <glossAcronym> element. In that context, the <glossSurfaceForm> element contains the term in a manner that introduces both the term and the acronym, so that later references to the term can be replaced with the acronym alone.

See the <abbreviated-form> element for a full description of how the surface form is used together with acronyms.

Specialization hierarchy

The <glossSurfaceForm> element is specialized from <p>. It is defined in the glossary entry module.

Content model

(Text | <keyword> | <term> | <text> | <tm> | <ph>)*

Contained by

<glossBody>

Zero or more of the following
  • Text
  • <keyword>
  • <ph>
  • <term>
  • <text>
  • <tm>

Contained by

Inheritance

- topic/p concept/p glossentry/glossSurfaceForm

The <glossSurfaceForm> element is specialized from <p>. It is defined in the glossentry module.

Attributes

The following attributes are available on this element: universal attributes.

The following attributes are available on this element: universal attributes.

Example

This section is non-normative.

The following glossary entry topic defines the term "Anti-lock Braking System". Within the topic, the <glossSurfaceForm> element provides a version of the term that combines both the primary term and the acronym. The content of the <glossSurfaceForm> might be rendered in introductory contexts when the glossary entry topic is referenced from an <abbreviated-form> element.

<glossentry id="abs">
  <glossterm>Anti-lock Braking System</glossterm>
  <glossBody>
    <glossSurfaceForm>Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)</glossSurfaceForm>
    <glossAlt>
      <glossAcronym>ABS</glossAcronym>
    </glossAlt>
  </glossBody>
</glossentry>