Command reference

All commands of the layout file, arranged by topic. The sidebar lists the commands alphabetically; see the attribute index for an overview of all attributes.

Structure and settings

Layout

This command is the root element in the Layout instructions.

Include (deprecated)

Toplevel element for included layout files.

Section

Groups layout instructions.

Compatibility

Set compatibility for older layouts

Options

Set publisher specific options.

AddSearchpath

Add a directory on the hard-drive to be added to the publisher’s search path.

Message

Writes a message onto the console and to the protocol file.

Trace

Set debugging switches

Data processing

Record

Contains the instructions when the publisher processes the element in the data file with the given name.

ProcessNode

Executes all given nodes.

ForAll

Executes the given commands for all elements in the data XML file that match the contents of the attribute select.

Copy-of

Replace this element by the copy of the selection as an element structure.

Value

Contains a text value that is passed to the surrounding element.

SortSequence

Sort a list.

LoadDataset

Load an XML file previously written by SaveDataset (attribute name) or a well formed XML file (attribute filename).

SaveDataset

Saves an element/attribute structure to be used in the next publisher run.

Element

Create a data structure that can be used to save on the hard-drive between consecutive runs (with SaveDataset).

Attribute

Create an attribute for the Element data structure that can be saved to the hard drive with SaveDataset.

Programming

SetVariable

Associates a value with a variable name.

Function

Define a function

Param

Specify a parameter for a function definition.

Switch

Create an if-then-else construct.

Case

Part of a Switch construct.

Otherwise

Default branch of a Switch command.

Loop

Repeat the contents of this element several times.

While

Create a loop.

Until

Create a loop.

Pages and grid

Pageformat

The size of the PDF pages.

Pagetype

Define a master page.

Margin

Set the margin of the document or master page.

AtPageCreation

The contents of the element AtPageCreation is executed the first time the page is accessed.

AtPageShipout

The enclosed instructions will be executed when the page is placed into the PDF file.

ClearPage

Finishes the current page.

DefineMatter

Define a new section of the document.

InsertPages

Insert previously saved pages or reserve space for pages to be generted in the future.

SavePages

This command is used for two different but similar purposes.

PositioningArea

Describes an area which contains one or more frames.

PositioningFrame

Defines a rectangular area for objects.

SetGrid

Set size of the grid cells.

Grid

Override the grid settings from SetGrid.

NextRow

The virtual cursor is set on the next free row.

NextFrame

Switch to the next free frame of a positioning area.

Output of objects

PlaceObject

Outputs a rectangular object (image, table, box, barcode or textblock).

Textblock

Create a rectangular piece of text.

Text

Create a text that can be broken across text containers or pages.

Output

This command is similar to PlaceObject and is currently limited to output text which can be broken across positioning frames and which can wrap around objects.

Image

Includes an external Graphic.

Box

Create a rectangular colored area.

Circle

Create a circle or ellipse.

Rule

Draw a horizontal or vertical rule in the grid.

Barcode

Print a 1d or 2d barcode.

Frame

Manipulate an object’s appearance by drawing a frame.

Clip

Clip an image or other output

Transformation

Manipulate an object’s appearance by applying a matrix.

Overlay

Overlays the first element with the following “positions”.

Position

Add an element to the current Overlay.

Group

Create a virtual page that behaves like a real page but is not placed into the PDF.

Groupcontents

Insert the contents of a group (a virtual area)

Contents

Marks the contents of a Group, a virtual area.

DefineGraphic

Define a metapost graphic to be used in Box.

Text and paragraphs

Paragraph

Insert a paragraph of text.

B

Switch to font weight “bold”

I

Switch to italic text.

U

Underline text.

Sub

Subscript text.

Sup

Superscript text.

Span

Surround text by styling options.

Br

Insert a newline

NoBreak

Don’t allow a line break within this element

Initial

Make some letters appear in a larger font at the beginning of the paragraph.

HSpace

Two modes: with a given width, the space takes up the given amount.

VSpace

Create a vertically stretching space.

URL

enables a better breaking of URLs.

Hyphenation

Suggest a hyphenation.

DefineTextformat

Define text formatting instructions.

Fonts

DefineFontfamily

Defines a font family consisting of the shapes “regular”, “bold”, “bold italic” and “italic”.

Regular

The (symbolic) name of the fontface for regular text, i.e. without bold or italic.

Bold

Name of the font face that should be used when switching to “bold”.

Italic

The font face to be used when the user switches to italic.

BoldItalic

Name of the font face that should be used when switching to “bold italic”.

DefineFontalias

Defines a font alias.

Fallback

Define a fallback for LoadFontfile

LoadFontfile

Load a font file (.otf, .ttf, .pfb) and associate it with an internal name.

Fontface

Switch to another font family.

Axis

Set a design axis of a variable font to a specific value.

Colors

DefineColor

Colors defined with DefineColors can be referenced later by their name.

Color

Switch to another text color

Tables

Table

Create a table that is similar to the HTML table model.

Columns

Set the widths and other properties of the columns in a table.

Column

Set the properties of a column in the table.

Tablehead

Create a repeating table head.

Tablefoot

Create a repeating table footer.

Tr

Tablerow

Td

Td wraps a table cell, just like HTML.

Tablerule

Insert a horizontal rule in a table

TableNewPage

Switches to a new page within the table.

Lists

Ol

Create an ordered list, just like in HTML

Ul

Create an unordered list, just like in HTML

Li

List item in an ordered or unordered list.

Directories and references

Mark

Sets an invisible mark into the output.

Makeindex

Sort and split a list of elements to make an index.

Bookmark

Create a bookmark for the PDF viewer (e.g. Adobe Reader).

A

Insert hyperlink to a URL.

HTML and CSS

HTML

Create HTML output

Stylesheet

Load a CSS file or define CSS rules

PDF output

PDFOptions

Set PDF options like number of copies and such

DefineColorprofile

Associate an external color profile with a name.

AttachFile

Attach a file to the PDF.

StructureElement

Create a structure hierarchy for tagged PDF.