◇◆
Tagging Figures/Graphics/Media
This Tag Set provides several elements related to the still graphic images and the
multimedia objects contained within an article. These elements do not contain the
image or object; they point to an external file that contains the image or object.
The primary ones are:
- Graphic, Inline (<inline-graphic>) — inline still images such as logos,
- Graphic (<graphic>) — block-level still images such as drawings and photographs,
- Media, Inline (<inline-media>) — inline moving images, sound files (such as pronunciation files), and other media that cannot be represented in print, and
- Media (<media>) — block-level moving images, sound files, and other media that cannot be represented in print.
Inline Graphic
The simplest graphic object is the <inline-graphic>, which is used when the image should appear inline with surrounding text. Inline
graphics may contain no labels, titles, or captions. A typical inline graphic is an
empty element, using an attribute to point to a logo or to a special math or chemistry
symbol that is used inside a paragraph or a title. (Best Practice: If the image represents
a special private character, the <private-char> element should be used instead of <inline-graphic>.)
Graphic
Still images that do not appear inline are tagged with the <graphic> element, typically inside a figure (<fig>),
which holds associated information such as a title, caption, etc. When an image in
an
article has no associated information (title, caption, etc.), a <graphic> element should not be embedded in a <fig> element.
Most <graphic> elements are empty, used only to point to the
external file. When a <graphic> is within a figure (<fig>), the associated <caption> is within the
<fig>.
Accessibility: A <graphic> that is not inside a <fig> or <table-wrap> should contain several sub-elements, including <alt-text> and <long-desc>, which are especially important to enable access for visually impaired users. For
graphics inside another element (such as a <fig>), the containing element typically holds the accessibility information, although
in rare cases the accessibility elements may need to be in both places.
Media
Objects such as an MP3 sound clip accompanying an article are tagged with the <media> element, typically inside a figure (<fig>), which holds associated information such as a figure number, title, caption, etc.
(see below). When a media object in an article has no associated information (title,
figure number, etc.), a <media> element should be not be embedded in a <fig> element.
Accessibility: A <media> object that is not inside a <fig> or <table-wrap> should contain several sub-elements, including <alt-text> and <long-desc>, which are especially important to enable access for visually impaired users. For
objects inside another element (such as a <fig>), the containing element typically holds the accessibility information, although
in rare cases the accessibility elements may need to be in both places.
Figures
Figures are typically a numbered wrapper for images and media and their metadata,
used to
associate a graphic or media object with related information
(such as a caption, title, or credits and other attribution) or with other graphic,
media, or
textual objects. Inside a figure (<fig>), the most commonly occurring related
information is a caption (<caption>).
Like tables, figures typically contain titles and captions. In this Tag Set, the
<title> element is included inside the <caption> element. A <caption> may contain many kinds of text associated with its figure, typically a <title> (which acts as a heading for the figure), one or more descriptive paragraphs (<p>), or a legend (tagged, for example, as a list within a <p>).
Figures do not always contain pictures. While many <fig> elements contain graphic objects (<graphic> or <media>), a <fig> element may also contain a variety of display and textual objects, such as formulas,
chemical structures, poetry, tables, bulleted or numbered lists, simple paragraphs,
definition lists, or a mixture of any of these items as well as one or more graphic
objects.
Positioning Graphic Objects
In common with other block-level display objects, figures, graphics, and media objects
may take the @position attribute, which is used to indicate where the object should be displayed. The values
for this attribute are slightly overloaded, as two values indicate the position of
the object (such as a graphic) in relation to the text:
and two indicate the relationship between the object (such as a graphic) and the page,
and are
typically used by a publisher, not an author.
|
anchor
|
Object should appear exactly where it is found in the narrative flow.
|
|---|---|
|
float
|
Object should appear near its position in the narrative flow, but it may float to
the top of a page or column, or into another window.
|
|
background
|
Object, typically a decorative graphic, should appear behind the narrative. This does
not displace the narrative; ideally, both the graphic and the narrative are visible,
and the narrative is legible through the graphic.
|
|---|---|
|
margin
|
Object should appear beside the text that contains it in the narrative flow, as though
it were in the margin of a printed page.
|
Figure and Graphic Examples
Here is a typical figure with a caption and graphic inside. As is usually the case,
the <graphic> element is empty, only used to point to the external file.
... <fig id="fg-012"> <caption> <title>My Dog</title> <p>He is so sweet! This is his best pose.</p> </caption> <graphic xlink:href="frontView.png"/> </fig> ...
Here is a figure that contains no graphics at all, but encloses some bulleted items
in a <list>. Note: The @prefix-word attribute has been used in the example below to request a prefix. If numbers are
generated on display of an ordered list, the “Pet” prefix will cause the list item
numbers to display as “Pet 1. Poodle”, “Pet 2. Persian Cat”, etc. If no numbers are
autogenerated, then the prefix word will cause the list item numbers to display as
“Pet Poodle”, “Pet Persian Cat”, etc.
<fig id="fg-012"> <caption><title>Pet Show and Tell Order</title></caption> <list list-type="order" prefix-word="Pet "> <list-item><p>Poodle</p></list-item> <list-item><p>Persian Cat</p></list-item> <list-item><p>Weaver Finches</p></list-item> <list-item><p>Gecko</p></list-item> </list> </fig>
Here is a figure with three graphics inside. The <fig> element also contains a <title> that applies to all the graphics.
... <fig id="fg-012"> <caption><title>Three Perspectives on My Dog</title></caption> <graphic xlink:href="frontView.png"/> <graphic xlink:href="sideView.png"/> <graphic xlink:href="motionView.png"/> </fig> ...
Other Block-level Display Objects
Several other block-level elements may also contain graphic objects, for example,
see <boxed-text> and <disp-formula>. For specifics, see the Context Table for where the specific graphic/media objects
(<graphic>, <inline-graphic>, <media>, and <inline-media>) may be used.
Additional (Non-integral) Display Objects
The <supplementary-material> and <inline-supplementary-material> elements describe supplemental material that is associated with an article, but not
part of the article. Neither the <supplementary-material> element nor the <inline-supplementary-material> element contains a supplementary object; both elements contain descriptions and possibly pointers
to such objects. These descriptions may incorporate graphics or media elements (<graphic> or <media>) as part of the description of the additional material, but those graphics and media
are not themselves the supplementary object.