XML Schema

lpdf documents are described in XML. Download the schema: lpdf.xsd (version="1", what this page documents).

Document structure

<lpdf version="1">
  <assets>           ← optional: fonts, images
  <tokens>           ← optional: custom scales and colors
  <document>         ← required
    <meta>           ← optional: title, author, subject, keywords, creator
    <section>+       ← one or more, each with its own pages
      <layout>       ← flow content
        …elements
      <canvas>       ← absolute positioned content
        <layer>+
          …shapes

A document holds sections, and a section holds a layout, a canvas, or both. The schema also allows layout directly inside document for a single section, but the engine does not accept that form yet: it stops with “unexpected element in document”. Always put it in a section.

<document size="letter" margin="48pt">
  <section>
    <layout>
      <text>Hello world</text>
    </layout>
  </section>
</document>

L.document({ size: 'letter', margin: '48pt' }, [
    L.section(NoAttr, [
        L.layout(NoAttr, [
            L.text(NoAttr, ['Hello world']),
        ]),
    ]),
])

L.document(DocumentAttr(size='letter', margin='48pt'), [
    L.section(NoAttr, [
        L.layout(NoAttr, [
            L.text(NoAttr, ['Hello world'])
        ])
    ])
])

L::document(new DocumentAttr(size: 'letter', margin: '48pt'), [
    L::section(NoAttr, [
        L::layout(NoAttr, [
            L::text(NoAttr, ['Hello world']),
        ]),
    ]),
])

L.Document(new() { Size = "letter", Margin = "48pt" }, [
    L.Section(NoAttr, [
        L.Layout(NoAttr, [
            L.Text(NoAttr, ["Hello world"]),
        ]),
    ]),
])

Page sizes

Set on document, and overridden per section, with size. Without one, a document is A4.

Value	Dimensions
`letter`	8.5 × 11 in
`legal`	8.5 × 14 in
`a3`	297 × 420 mm
`a4`	210 × 297 mm
`a5`	148 × 210 mm

Custom: size="200pt 300pt", the width then the height, both in pt. orientation="landscape" swaps the two.

Units

Lengths are in points (pt, 1/72 in). Where other units work depends on the attribute:

Where	Accepts
Layout lengths: `gap`, `padding`, `margin`, `width`, `height`, `font-size`, `radius`, `thickness`	`pt` or a token name
Canvas positions and sizes: `x` `y` `w` `h` `cx` `cy` `r` `rx` `ry` `x1`…`y2`, and canvas `radius`, `stroke-width`, `font-size`	`pt`, `mm` or `in`
Table `cols`	`fr`, `pt` or `%`

Layout lengths do not take mm, in, px or %: the engine stops with an “invalid space value” or “invalid width value” error. Canvas x, y, cx, cy and the line ends are signed, so they accept negative numbers: -18pt.

Tokens

A token is a name for a length. Each attribute reads its own scale, so m is 8pt as a gap and 11pt as a font-size.

Token	space: `gap` `padding` `margin`	text size: `font-size`	border: `border` `thickness`	`radius`	`width`	grid: `col-width`
`xs`	2pt	7pt	0.5pt	2pt	120pt	60pt
`s`	4pt	9pt	1pt	4pt	200pt	100pt
`m`	8pt	11pt	1.5pt	6pt	280pt	140pt
`l`	14pt	14pt	2pt	10pt	360pt	180pt
`xl`	20pt	20pt	3pt	16pt	440pt	220pt
`xxl`	32pt	28pt	4pt	24pt	515pt	280pt

padding and margin take one to four values, written like CSS, and each can be a token: padding="m 24pt" is 8pt top and bottom and 24pt left and right.

To change a scale, or to name colors, add tokens before document. A scale row needs all six values:

<lpdf version="1">
  <tokens>
    <space xs="2pt" s="6pt" m="12pt" l="18pt" xl="24pt" xxl="36pt"/>
    <colors>
      <color name="brand" value="#d76f04"/>
      <color name="text" value="#222222"/>
    </colors>
  </tokens>
  <document size="letter" margin="48pt">
    <section>
      <layout>
        <stack gap="m" padding="l" background="brand">
          <text>Uses the new scale and the named color</text>
        </stack>
      </layout>
    </section>
  </document>
</lpdf>

L.document({ size: 'letter', margin: '48pt', tokens: { space: { xs: '2pt', s: '6pt', m: '12pt', l: '18pt', xl: '24pt', xxl: '36pt' }, colors: { brand: '#d76f04', text: '#222222' } } }, [
    L.section(NoAttr, [
        L.layout(NoAttr, [
            L.stack({ gap: 'm', padding: 'l', background: 'brand' }, [
                L.text(NoAttr, ['Uses the new scale and the named color']),
            ]),
        ]),
    ]),
])

L.document(DocumentAttr(size='letter', margin='48pt', tokens=DocumentTokens(space={'xs': '2pt', 's': '6pt', 'm': '12pt', 'l': '18pt', 'xl': '24pt', 'xxl': '36pt'}, colors={'brand': '#d76f04', 'text': '#222222'})), [
    L.section(NoAttr, [
        L.layout(NoAttr, [
            L.stack(StackAttr(gap='m', padding='l', background='brand'), [
                L.text(NoAttr, ['Uses the new scale and the named color'])
            ])
        ])
    ])
])

L::document(new DocumentAttr(size: 'letter', margin: '48pt', tokens: new DocumentTokens(space: ['xs' => '2pt', 's' => '6pt', 'm' => '12pt', 'l' => '18pt', 'xl' => '24pt', 'xxl' => '36pt'], colors: ['brand' => '#d76f04', 'text' => '#222222'])), [
    L::section(NoAttr, [
        L::layout(NoAttr, [
            L::stack(new StackAttr(gap: 'm', padding: 'l', background: 'brand'), [
                L::text(NoAttr, ['Uses the new scale and the named color']),
            ]),
        ]),
    ]),
])

L.Document(new() { Size = "letter", Margin = "48pt", Tokens = new DocumentTokens(Space: new() { ["xs"] = "2pt", ["s"] = "6pt", ["m"] = "12pt", ["l"] = "18pt", ["xl"] = "24pt", ["xxl"] = "36pt" }, Colors: new() { ["brand"] = "#d76f04", ["text"] = "#222222" }) }, [
    L.Section(NoAttr, [
        L.Layout(NoAttr, [
            L.Stack(new() { Gap = "m", Padding = "l", Background = "brand" }, [
                L.Text(NoAttr, ["Uses the new scale and the named color"]),
            ]),
        ]),
    ]),
])

The scale elements are space, text-size, border, radius, width and grid. A color named text becomes the default text color.

Colors

A color is #rgb or #rrggbb, or the name of a color in tokens. There is no alpha channel: use opacity on canvas shapes. A name that is not defined is an error.

BorderValue format

A border is a thickness and a color, separated by a space. The thickness is a token or a pt value:

"s #cccccc"       ← token thickness + hex color
"1.5pt #333333"   ← pt thickness + hex color
"m brand"         ← token thickness + color token

A border with only a color, such as "#e0e0e0", is an error.

Element reference

See All Elements for a full attribute reference for every element.