Re: [Docutils-users] Setting element "span" instead of element "p"

[Guenter M. <mi...@us...>]

On 2025-07-28, Schimon Jehudah wrote:
> On Sun, 27 Jul 2025 Guenter Milde wrote:
>> On 2025-07-26, Schimon Jehudah wrote:
>> > On Sat, 26 Jul 2025 Guenter Milde wrote:  
>> >> On 2025-07-25, Schimon Jehudah wrote:  

>> >> > Is it feasible to set the routine (i.e. default) element to
>> >> > "span", or any other element, instead of element "p"?    

...

>> This is something you may do in a custom HTML writer or as a
>> post-processing with an XSLT stylesheet rule but it seems wrong for
>> standard HTML output.

> Yes. I can so that. I can process it again afterwards.


>> What is your problem with paragraphs? Is it about <p> in table cells,
>> list items etc.?

> Yes. I suppose, because I attach the output to an XSLT stylesheet, as
> a part of customizing XSLT stylesheets and make them as usuable as so
> called "template engines" (e.g. Jinja2).

> This is the raw code of the XSLT stylesheet.

><nav id="xslt-navigation-bottom"/>

> This is the processed code of the XSLT stylesheet.

><nav id="xslt-navigation-bottom">
>  <p>
>     <a class="reference external" href="/about" rel="noopener noreferrer">About</a>
>     <a class="reference external" href="/about/rss" rel="noopener noreferrer">Atom</a>
>     <a class="reference external" href="/v" rel="noopener noreferrer">V</a>
>     <a class="reference external" href="/about/xmpp" rel="noopener noreferrer">XMPP</a>
>     <a class="reference external" href="/help" rel="noopener noreferrer">Help</a>
>  </p>
></nav>

> The element "p" is not intended to be included.

> https://journal.woodpeckersnest.eu/

> So, I resorted to create a CSS rule.

> nav p {
>   all: unset;
> }

> https://journal.woodpeckersnest.eu/css/stylesheet.css

> As you suggested, post-processing would be a good solution.

This could be merged with the post processing to wrap text spans.
After all, the output of Docutils HTML writers is valid XML but no XSLT ;)

...

>> Mind, that "xhtml" and "html5" are both aliases for the
>> "html5_polyglot" writer. It produces HTML5 that is also valid XML.
>> https://docutils.sourceforge.io/docs/user/html.html#html5

>> For clarity and brevity, I prefer to call this writer "html5" and its
>> output "HTML" or "HTML5".

>> The term "XHTML" is a bit ambiguous, because the legacy `"html4css1"
>> writer`__ (with aliases "html", "html4" and "xhtml10") produces 
>> `XHTML 1 Transitional`__.

>> __ https://docutils.sourceforge.io/docs/user/html.html#html4css1
>> __ https://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/


> Until recently, I have utilized "html".

> I will try "xhtml10" also.

Using the Docutils writer name "html" or "xhtml10" will make no difference,
both refer to the legacy "html4css1" writer.

> I only need a valid XML output.

Using the writer names "html5" or "xhtml" will also result in valid XML
output. The difference is a more semantic output (more CSS styling
instead of hard-coded layout) and better support for advanced features
like SVG images, math formulas, and video images.


Regards,

Günter