Short for
document type definition. A DTD states what
tags and
attributes are used to describe content in an
SGML,
XML or
HTML document, where each tag is allowed, and which tags can appear within other tags. For example, in a DTD one could say that LIST tags can contain ITEM tags, but ITEM tags cannot contain LIST tags. In some editors, when authors are inputting information, they can place tags only where the DTD allows. This ensures that all the documentation is formatted the same way. Applications will use a document's DTD to properly read and display a document's contents. Changes in the format of the document can be easily made by modifying the DTD.
(Special thanks goes to technical writer Ryan Mauldin for help in updating this definition.)
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