## Text Encoding Initiative

### The XML Version of the TEI Guidelines

# <state>

`<state>` | specifies one component of a canonical reference defined by the ‘milestone’ method.

Attributes

(In addition to global attributes)

`ed` | (edition) indicates which edition or version the milestone applies to.
| Datatype: CDATA
| Values: Any string of characters; usually a siglum conventionally used for the edition.
| Default: #IMPLIED
Note | If `ed` is not specified, then any milestone tag with an appropriate `unit` attribute will be selected.

`unit` | indicates what kind of state is changing at this milestone.
| Datatype: CDATA

Suggested values include:

page | page breaks in the reference edition.
column | column breaks.
line | line breaks.
book | any units termed book, liber, etc.
poem | individual poems in a collection.
canto | cantos or other major sections of a poem.
stanza | stanzas within a poem, book, or canto.
act | acts within a play.
scene | scenes within a play or act.
section | sections of any kind.
absent | passages not present in the reference edition.

| Default: #REQUIRED
`length` | specifies the fixed length of the reference component.
| Datatype: CDATA
| Values: Should be a positive integer; if no value is provided, the length is unlimited and goes to the next delimiter or to the end of the value.
| Default: #IMPLIED

Note

When constructing a reference, if the reference component found is of numeric type, the length is made up by inserting leading zeros; if it is not, by inserting trailing blanks. In either case, reference components are truncated if necessary at the right hand side.

When seeking a reference, the length indicates the number of characters which should be compared. Values longer than this will be regarded as matching, if they start correctly.

`delim` | supplies a delimiting string following the reference component.
| Datatype: CDATA
| Values: If a single space is used it is interpreted as whitespace.
| Default: #IMPLIED

Example

    <state unit="book" delim=":"/>
    <state unit="line" length="4"/>

Module Declared in file teihdr2; Core tag sets: enabled when any TEI base is enabled
May occur within refsDecl
Declaration

    <!ELEMENT state %om.RO; EMPTY>
    <!ATTLIST state
          %a.global;
          ed CDATA #IMPLIED
          unit CDATA #REQUIRED
          length CDATA #IMPLIED
          delim CDATA #IMPLIED>

See further 5.3.5.3 Milestone Method; 5.3.5 The Reference System Declaration

Up: 35 Elements