Inline elements allow XSL-FO developers to specify attributes for individual pieces of inline content (text and images), instead of the whole block.

 

Example of usage where a fragment of text is filled with red and its font weight is set to bold:

 

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

<fo:root xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format">

  <fo:layout-master-set>

       <fo:simple-page-master master-name="LetterPage" page-width="5in" page-height="1in">

               <fo:region-body region-name="PageBody" margin="0.2in"/>

       </fo:simple-page-master>

  </fo:layout-master-set>

  <fo:page-sequence master-reference="LetterPage">

       <fo:flow flow-name="PageBody">

               <fo:block font="14pt Arial">

                       Some <fo:inline font-weight="bold" color="red">inline text</fo:inline> formatting.(1)

               </fo:block>

       </fo:flow>

  </fo:page-sequence>

</fo:root>

 

 

Output:

 

Key observation:

 

(1) The fo:inline element wraps the fragment "inline text" and sets font-weight to bold. The text color is set to red using the color attribute.

 

 

Any color can be described using either a standard color value (see Colors) or by using it's red, green and blue components.

 

The following notations are equivalent:

 

       

       <fo:inline color="red">Hello</fo:inline>

       <fo:inline color="rgb(255,0,0)">Hello</fo:inline>

 

 

Subscripts and Superscripts:

Inline elements also allow creation of sub-scripts of super-scripts.

 

Example of usage:

 

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

<fo:root xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format">

       <fo:layout-master-set>

               <fo:simple-page-master master-name="LetterPage" page-width="5in" page-height="1.6in">

                       <fo:region-body region-name="PageBody" margin="0.2in"/>

               </fo:simple-page-master>

       </fo:layout-master-set>

       <fo:page-sequence master-reference="LetterPage">

               <fo:flow flow-name="PageBody" font="10pt Arial">

                       <fo:block>

                       Normal text

                       <fo:inline baseline-shift="sub" background="rgb(66,165,255)">sub-script</fo:inline>

                       normal text

                       <fo:inline baseline-shift="super" background="rgb(66,165,255)">super-script</fo:inline>

                       normal text.

               </fo:block>

                       <fo:block>

                       Normal text

                       <fo:inline baseline-shift="-50%" background="rgb(66,165,255)">-50%</fo:inline>

                       normal text

                       <fo:inline baseline-shift="50%" background="rgb(66,165,255)">+50%</fo:inline>

                       normal text.

               </fo:block>

                       <fo:block>

                       Normal text

                       <fo:inline baseline-shift="-5pt" background="rgb(66,165,255)">-5pt</fo:inline>

                       normal text

                       <fo:inline baseline-shift="5pt" background="rgb(66,165,255)">5pt</fo:inline>

                       normal text.

               </fo:block>

               </fo:flow>

       </fo:page-sequence>

</fo:root>

 

 

Output:

 

The property that controls the alignment of an inline element vertically within it's parent line is baseline-shift.

As it is illustrated in this example, the text can be shifted vertically using either "sub" or "super" which will use font metrics to determine the subscript or superscript positions.

Also a percentual or absolute value can be used.