<block-alternatives> Block-level Alternatives

Container element to hold block-level processing alternatives, such as the same table or figure in two languages.

Usage/Remarks

The major use case for <block-alternatives> is multiple versions, probably multiple language versions, of a block-level assemblage such as a table or boxed-text. For example, a typical use case is an article in a printed journal which contains a figure in Portuguese and for the same article presented online the figure is shown in English (identical figures). Use cases include a figure provided as alternatives two or three times for a single output format (one figure in each language) and of one table provided as alternatives two or three times (one table in each language).
Comparison to Figure Group
A group of identical figures is not a figure group. The element <fig-group> is defined as a collection of related figures, rather than multiples of the same figure. A figure group containing 6 figures counts as 6 figures; a <block-alternatives> element containing 6 figures would count as a single figure, with 6 processing alternatives.
Not for Article Structures
JATS does not allow alternatives to document structures such as appendices and appendix groups. Therefore <app> and similar structural elements (as opposed to block-level elements) are not allowed inside <block-alternatives>.
Related Elements
Alternatives Inside a Structure: The <alternatives> element is used inside a single figure, table, or similar block structure to hold several versions of the content for the single figure, table, etc. For example, a single table could contain a graphic, a MathML-tagged equation, and a LaTeX-tagged equation as processing alternatives (inside the <alternatives> element).
Block-level Alternatives: In contrast, <block-alternatives> is used to hold more than one table (figure, etc.) when there are multiple tables (<table-wrap>) which must be treated as equivalent processing alternatives, for example, to hold two or more versions of a table or figure, each in a different language.
Attributes

Base Attributes

Models and Context
May be contained in
Description
Content Model
<!ELEMENT  block-alternatives 
                        %block-alternatives-model;                   >
Expanded Content Model

((object-id)*, (boxed-text | fig | fig-group | table-wrap | table-wrap-group)+)

Related Resources