Glossaries

[ways2read]

Knowledge base reference: http://kb.daisy.org/publishing/docs/html/glossaries.html

[jonaslil]

Markup requirements

The recommended markup for glossaries is a description list (<dl>), especially when the term and definition are in separate paragraphs. See:

• DAISY KB: Example - A basic glossary
• Digital Publishing WAI-ARIA Module 1.1: Example 23

Another possible model, applicable when the term and definition are in the same paragraph, is to use an unordered list with the term wrapped in a <dfn> tag (see Example 24).

Current status and proposed solutions

At present, InDesign does not support description lists. The markup can't be achieved via paragraph or character style export tagging.

Case 1: Term and definition in separate paragraphs

Possible solution:

• Apply paragraph styles to the term and definition, with <dt> and <dd> as export tags (currently supported)
• On export, InDesign should wrap sequences of <dt> and <dd> elements in a <dl> tag (not currently supported)

Case 2: Term and definition in the same paragraph

Possible solution:

• Apply bullet list formatting to the paragraphs (with an empty space as the marker)
• Apply a character style to the term, with <dfn> as the export tag
• The glossary is exported as an unordered list with terms tagged as <dfn>

This approach is currently possible, apart from some CSS limitations in the export of bullet lists (for example, list markers remain visible even when hidden in the InDesign layout).

Hyperlinked glossary references

In the ARIA role implementation of the 21.0 prerelease, it is not possible to apply a role directly to a link (<a>). This is an issue for references to glossary terms (role="doc-glossref") and backlinks (role="doc-backlink").

[raman211]

@jonaslil As discussed in the last meeting and mentioned above for the Case 2
To support Apply bullet list formatting to the paragraphs (with an empty space as the marker)

We could think of the following
Setting the list style type to None

list-style-type: none;

or

list-style-type: none;
padding-left: 1em; /* keep spacing manually if desired */

or

ul {
list-style-type: none;
}
ul li::before {
content: " ";
margin-right: 0.5em;
}

Are there any other solutions you can suggest to us?

CC: @gregoriopellegrino @LauraB7

[ways2read]

We discussed in our call today. Our initial thoughts are that the first looks the best approach:

list-style-type: none;

However, on the li elements we need to be able to preserve all the paragraph style settings.

We are conducting further investigation and testing in reading systems into this before posting a more complete response.

[rajenpandit]

Hi @jonaslil and @ways2read,
For this requirement, our proposed solution is as follows.
Please let us know if you need any changes or additional details.

Proposed Solution

Case 1: Term and Definition in Separate Paragraphs

1. Create two different Paragraph Styles — one for the <dt> tag and another for the <dd> tag.

2. In each Paragraph Style, set the Export Tagging as dt and dd respectively.

3. Since <dt> and <dd> are conceptually list items, set the List Type to Bullets under the Bullets & Numbering section.

   • If you don’t want bullet symbols to appear in InDesign document, choose a blank bullet character.

4. To create a glossary list:

   • Prepare your list of term–definition pairs.
   • Apply the dt style to each term and the dd style to each definition.

5. The <dl> tag will automatically be generated during EPUB export.

Case 2: Term and definition in the same paragraph

1. Create a Character Style named dfn.

2. Set the Export Tagging for this style to dfn.

3. Apply the dfn style to the relevant terms within your list items.

4. In the List Style Options, set the Bullet Character to blank under the Bullets & Numbering section to avoid visible bullets.

[jonaslil]

Hi @raman211 and @rajenpandit,

We think the proposed approach is fine for producing the correct HTML structure.

That said, the technique for creating description lists (case 1) needs to be properly documented for users. The technique for creating ordered lists without markers, essential for case 2, also needs to be documented.

There are also CSS issues beyond simply hiding list markers with list-style-type: none. To preserve the spacing and indentation defined in the list paragraph styles, InDesign would need to apply styling not only to the <li> elements but also to the corresponding <ul> / <ol> elements. Without this, reading systems fall back to their own default padding-left, margin-top, margin-bottom, etc., which results in layout differences compared to InDesign. Assigning a class to the list container would allow consistent control of indentation and spacing in EPUB output.

[Nainabhandari24]

Hi All,

We are pleased to inform you that the Glossaries have been implemented in the ID21.1.0.42 pre-release build, along with the known issue listed below. We kindly request you to explore the feature and share your valuable feedback.

Known issue :
• [ID-4273260] When Applying an hyperlink or text anchor to the dfn tagged text, the dfn tags are stripped
off.

CC: @rajenpandit

Thanks,
Naina