declaration

Synonym: synonym

The SGML declaration defines what characters are used for markup, any limitations on tag-length or attributes, and what SGML options are used. It must be present, and if omitted a default is assumed. Unfortunately the default is so restrictive (e.g. GIs must be = 8 chars) that it only works with a few DTDs. In practice it is used to switch on some SGML options for minimising documents (which are increasingly deprecated). Omitting the SGML declaration is a rich source of impenetrable errors for newcomers.