Wheat Is "repeatable-page-master-alternatives"?

XSL-FO Tutorials - Herong's Tutorial Examples

∟Wheat Is "repeatable-page-master-alternatives"?

This section describes 'repeatable-page-master-alternatives' which is a sub element of 'page-sequence-master' to declare a sub sequence of layouts by specifying a list of alternative layouts with a condition attached to each layouts.

Of the three sub elements of "page-sequence-master", the first two: "single-page-master-reference" and "repeatable-page-master-reference" are easier to understand. The third one, "repeatable-page-master-alternatives", requires more attention.

Wheat Is "repeatable-page-master-alternatives"? - "repeatable-page-master-alternatives" is sub element of "page-sequence-master". It is used to declare a sub sequence of layouts by specifying a list of alternative layouts with a condition attached to each layouts. When a page is mapped to "repeatable-page-master-alternatives", the first layout that satisfies the condition will be selected to generate the page.

"repeatable-page-master-alternatives" has one attribute and repeatable sub elements:

maximum-repeats="..." - An optional attribute that specifies how many layouts it can produce. Default is maximum-repeats="no-limit".
<fo:conditional-page-master-reference .../> - A repeatable sub element that specifies a layout with some conditions.

"conditional-page-master-reference" has these attributes:

master-reference="..." - A required attribute to specify an existing "simple-page-master" layout.
odd-or-even="..." - An optional attribute to specify the condition if the page is an "odd" page or an "even" page. Default is odd-or-even="any".
page-position="..." - An optional attribute to specify the condition if the page is the "only" page in the sequence, the "first" page in the sequence, the "last" page of the sequence, or a "rest" (other) page in the sequence. Default is page-position="any".
blank-or-not-blank="..." - An optional attribute to specify the condition if the page is a "blank" page or a "not-blank" page. Default is blank-or-not-blank="any".

Here is an example of "page-sequence-master" to illustrate how to "repeatable-page-master-alternatives" sub elements:

<fo:page-sequence-master master-name="chapter">
 <fo:repeatable-page-master-alternatives maximum-repeats="no-limit">
  <fo:conditional-page-master-reference master-reference="odd_first"
   odd-or-even="odd" page-position="first"/>
  <fo:conditional-page-master-reference master-reference="even_first"
   odd-or-even="even" page-position="first"/>
  <fo:conditional-page-master-reference master-reference="odd_other"
   odd-or-even="odd" page-position="rest"/>
  <fo:conditional-page-master-reference master-reference="even_other"
   odd-or-even="even" page-position="rest"/>
 </fo:repeatable-page-master-alternatives>
</fo:page-sequence-master>

The above layout sequence can be applied to a "page-sequence" to generate a single chapter of a book. If the first page of the chapter is an odd page, "odd_first" layout applies. If the first page of the chapter is an even page, "even_first" layout applies. For other odd pages, "odd_other" layout applies. For other even pages, "even_other" layout applies.