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The <media> element is the primary building block for including multimedia files in your module. In its simplest form, a <media> element contains three pieces of information:

  • A unique id
  • Alt text
  • A media subtype element, such as <image>

The code snippet below shows a simple example of <media> element: <media id="media_example" alt="a dog on a bed"><image mime-type="image/jpeg" src="image1.jpg"/></media>

This code results in the following display:

a dog on a bed

Note that the resulting image displays inline ; when included as the child of another element, such as <para> , the media element will display in line with the surrounding text by default: <para id="myparagraph"><media id="media_example2" alt="a dog on a bed"><image mime-type="image/jpeg" src="image1.jpg"/></media>This is my dog. Isn't he cute?</para>

This code results in the following display:

a dog on a bed This is my dog. Isn't he cute?

Each <media> must contain a media subtype element from the following list:

  • <image>
  • <video>
  • <flash>
  • <audio>
  • <java-applet>
  • <labview>
  • <text>
  • <download>

The<Figure>Element

The <figure> element allows you to set a media element apart from the surrounding text and highlight it as a labeled figure within the module. In it's simplest form, a <figure> contains two pieces of information:

  • A unique ID
  • A <media> element

The code snippet below shows an example of a <figure> element: <figure id="figure_example"><media id="dog_on_bed" alt="a dog on a bed"><image mime-type="image/jpeg" src="image1.jpg"/></media></figure>

This example results in the following:

a dog on a bed

You'll notice that the figure is labeled as " [link] " - this information was not provided in the CNXML code, but is instead supplied automatically by Connexions based on the figure's place within the document. As you add, move, and delete figures in your module, you do not have to worry about keeping track of the figure numbering - this is done for you when the page is displayed to the reader. Also, unlike the <media> example shown previously, the image in this example is displayed in block mode rather than inline mode.

When referring to figures in your Connexions modules, you can take advantage of the figure's unique ID to create a dynamic reference that is automatically labeled for you. To do so, simply create an empty <link> that points to the <figure> ; in this case, <link target-id="figure_example" /> results in the following link: [link] .

Connexions will automatically label the text of the link to match the figure's label. Dynamic references can also be created for other "numbered" elements, such as <equation> , <example> , <exercise> , etc.

The <figure> also provides additional options that allow you to further highlight and describe an enclosed <media> element. The following example illustrates several additional elements:

  • <title> , which adds a title to the figure.
  • <caption> , which adds a caption allowing the author to provide a description or context for the figure.
  • <label> , which overrides the default 'Figure' label; this is especially useful for modules not written in English.
<figure id="figure_example_extended"><label>Figura</label><title>Mi Perro Benny</title><media id="dogpic" alt="Perro sentado en la cama"><image mime-type="image/jpeg" src="image1.jpg" /></media><caption>Este es mi perro Benny haciendo lo que hace mejor.</caption></figure> This example results in the following display:

Mi perro benny

Perro sentado en la cama
Este es mi perro Benny haciendo lo que hace mejor.

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Source:  OpenStax, Ideas and tools for improving connexions modules and collections. OpenStax CNX. Mar 22, 2010 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11184/1.2
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