W3C

XHTML Vocabulary

This is a vocabulary collection utilized by XHTML Family modules and document types using XHTML Modularization, including XHTML Role and XHTML + RDFa as defined in rdfa-syntax.

The XHTML specifications are developed by the W3C XHTML 2 Working Group as part of the W3C HTML Activity.

For more information about XML, please refer to the Extensible Markup Language (XML) 1.0 specification.

Version date: 2009-04-10

1. Introduction

XHTML Modularization [XHTMLMOD] permits the development of XHTML modules and XHTML family markup languages. These modules and markup languages may, in turn, define local vocabulary items for use as values of attributes. This document describes the items that are available in the default XHTML vocabulary space: http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml/vocab#.

2. XHTML Metainformation Vocabulary

The XHTML Metainformation Module defined as part of XHTML+RDFa [XHTMLRDFa] specifies the following vocabulary items for use in the rel and rev attributes.

alternate
alternate designates alternate versions for a resource.
appendix
appendix refers to a resource serving as an appendix in a collection.
bookmark
bookmark refers to a bookmark - a link to a key entry point within an extended document.
cite
cite refers to a resource that defines a citation.
chapter
chapter refers to a resource serving as a chapter in a collction.
contents
contents refers to a resource serving as a table of contents.
copyright refers to a copyright statement for the resource.
glossary
glossary refers to a resource providing a glossary of terms.
help
help refers to a resource offering help.
icon
icon refers to a resource that represents an icon.
index
index refers to a resource providing an index.
last
last refers to the last resource in a collection of resources.
license
license refers to a resource that defines the associated license.
meta
meta refers to a resource that provides metadata.
next
next refers to the next resource (after the current one) in an ordered collection of resources.
p3pv1
p3pv1 refers to a P3P Policy Reference File [P3P].
prev
prev refers to a previous resource (before the current one) in an ordered collection of resources.
role
role indicates the purpose of the resource. See the XHTML Role Vocabulary for roles in this vocabulary space, and XHTMLROLE for information on extending the collection of roles.
section
section refers to a resource serving as a section in a collection.
stylesheet
stylesheet refers to a resource serving as a stylesheet for a resource.
subsection
subsection refers to a resource serving as a subsection in a collection.
start
start refers to the first resource in a collection of resources.
up
up refers to a resource "above" in a hierarchically structured set.

3. XHTML Role Vocabulary

3.1 Items from the XHTML Role Module

The following values are defined for use in the role attribute as specified in the XHTML Role Attribute Module:

banner contains the prime heading or internal title of a page.
complementary
secondary indicates that the section supports but is separable from the main content of resource.
contentinfo
contentinfo has meta information about the content on the page or the page as a whole.
definition
definition indicates the definition of a term or concept.
main
main acts as the main content of the document.
navigation indicates a collection of items suitable for navigating the document or related documents.
note
note indicates the content is parenthetic or ancillary to the main content of the resource.
search indicates that the section provides a search facility.

3.2 Items from the Accessible Rich Internet Applications Vocabulary

alert
A message with important, and usually time-sensitive, information. Also see alertdialog and status.
alertdialog
A type of dialog that contains an alert message, where initial focus goes to the dialog or an element within it. Also see alert and dialog.
application
A region declared as a web application, as opposed to a web document.
article
A section of a page consisting of an independent part of a document, page, or site.
button
An input that allows for user-triggered actions when clicked or pressed.
checkbox
An checkable input that has three possible values: true, false, or mixed.
columnheader
A cell containing header information for a column.
combobox
A presentation of a select; usually similar to a textbox where users can type ahead to select an option, or type to enter arbitrary text as a new item in the list.
dialog
A dialog is an application window that is designed to interrupt the current processing of an application in order to prompt the user to enter information or require a response. Also see alertdialog.
directory
A list of references to members of a group, such as a static table of contents.
document
A region containing related information that is declared as document content, as opposed to a web application.
grid
A grid contains cells of tabular data arranged in rows and columns, like a table.
gridcell
A cell in a grid or treegrid.
group
A set of user interface objects which would not be included in a page summary or table of contents by an assistive technology.
heading
A heading for a section of the page.
img
A container for a collection of elements that form an image.
An interactive reference to an internal or external resource.
list
A group of non-interactive list items.
listbox
A widget that allows the user to select one or more items from a list of choices.
listitem
A single item in a list, listbox, or directory.
log
A type of live region where new information is added in meaningful order and old information may disappear. Also see marquee.
marquee
A type of live region where non-essential information changes frequently. Also see log.
math
An element that represents a mathematical expression.
A type of widget that offers a list of choices to the user.
A presentation of menu that usually remains visible and is usually presented horizontally.
An option in a group of choices contained by a menu or menubar.
A checkable menuitem that has three possible values: true, false, or mixed.
A checkable menuitem in a group of menuitemradio roles, only one of which can be checked at a time.
option
A selectable item in a select list.
presentation
An element whose role is presentational and does not need to be mapped to the accessibility API.
progressbar
An element that displays the progress status for tasks that take a long time.
radio
A checkable input in a group of radio roles, only one of which can be checked at a time.
radiogroup
A group of radio buttons.
region
A large perceivable section of a web page or document, that the author feels should be included in a summary of page features.
row
A row of cells in a grid.
rowheader
A cell containing header information for a row in a grid.
separator
A divider that separates and distinguishes sections of content or groups of menuitems.
slider
A user input where the user selects a value from within a given range.
spinbutton
A form of range that expects a user to select from amongst discrete choices.
status
A container whose content is advisory information for the user but is not important enough to justify an alert. Also see alert.
tab
A header for a tabpanel.
tablist
A list of tab elements, which are references to tabpanel elements.
tabpanel
A container for the resources associated with a tab.
textbox
Input that allows free-form text as their value.
timer
A numerical counter which indicates an amount of elapsed time from a start point, or the time remaining until an end point.
toolbar
A collection of commonly used function buttons represented in compact visual form.
tooltip
A contextual popup that displays a description for an element in a mouse hover or keyboard focused state. Supplement to the normal tooltip processing of the user agent.
tree
A type of list that may contain sub-level nested groups that can be collapsed and expanded.
treegrid
A grid whose rows can be expanded and collapsed in the same manner as for a tree.
treeitem
An option item of a tree. This is an element within a tree that may be expanded or collapsed if it contains a sub-level group of treeitems.

Appendix A - References

[P3P]
"The Platform for Privacy Preferences 1.0 (P3P1.0) Specification", W3C Recommendation, L. Cranor et al., 16 April 2002.
Available at: http://www.w3.org/TR/2002/REC-P3P-20020416/
[XHTMLMOD]
XHTML Modularization 1.1, W3C Recommendation, Shane McCarron, et al., 8 October 2008
http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-xhtml-modularization-20081008
[XHTMLRDFa]
"RDFa in XHTML: Syntax and Processing", W3C Recommendation, B. Adida, et al., 14 October 2008.
http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-rdfa-syntax-20081014.
[XHTMLROLE]
"XHTML Role Attribute Module", W3C Working Draft, M. Birbeck, et. al. 7 April 2008. http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/WD-xhtml-role-20080407
Steven Pemberton, W3C HTML Activity Lead
Last edited: 2009-04-10