§3.1

Elements

What is the unit of output, and how is each kind written?

✅ NormativeSettled. The requirement holds as written.📄 Page ruleCan be applied from the page alone.Read §3.1 in the RFC ↗

The requirement

A document is represented as a sequence of pages, each a sequence of elements in reading order. Every element MUST have exactly one class from the table below and MUST be rendered in Markdown as that class prescribes.

When it applies

An element is the smallest unit the protocol reasons about: it has one class, one rendering, one position in reading order and — when boxes are requested — one box. The classes are the layout classes of Block Classes (§5.3); the rendering column says how each appears in the Markdown. An element's class MUST be identical in its layout annotation and its Markdown representation. Its Markdown syntax MAY be shared by several classes; the element's role determines the class.

Class	Rendering in Markdown	Defined in
Title	ATX heading at the document's top level	Document Type (§4.4), Heading Depth Across Pages (§4.5)
Section-header	ATX heading (`#`…`######`) at its document depth	Heading Depth Across Pages (§4.5), Recognising Ambiguous Headings (§6.7)
Text	Paragraph; inline marks per Text Formatting Conventions (§7.1)	chapter 7
List-item	Markdown list item, nesting by printed indentation	Bullets and Sub-Bullets (§8.1)
Table	HTML `<table>`	chapter 9
Caption	For a table or chart, `<caption>` first or last inside its table HTML according to reading order; otherwise a paragraph adjacent to its object	Titles Banners Captions (§9.7.3)
Footnote	Paragraph at its printed position	Footnotes Inside the Frame (§9.7.2)
Formula	`$$ … $$` LaTeX, with its printed equation number	Displayed Equations (§7.2.2)
Picture	Its content as text: a chart table (`<table data-source="chart">`), a `diagram/<language>` block, a `description` fallback block, or a prose description	Images and Figures (§12.1.2)
Code	Fenced code block	Block Classes (§5.3)
Page-header / Page-footer	Its own block, never a heading	Recurring Page Furniture (§4.6), Markdown Rendering (§3.2)
Form / Key-Value Region	Key-value lines with `[blank]` for empty fields	chapter 10
Checkbox-Selected / -Unselected	`[x]` / `[ ]` before its label	Checkboxes (§10.4.2)
Document Index	Nested list, label then page number	Table of Contents (§6.10)

Reading the examples. Each one pairs a source page with the output the rule expects. ✅ Sample: the rule applies. ❌ Counter-sample: it looks like it applies and does not, or a rendering got it wrong. A non-conforming output, in red, is shown only for contrast. … marks content left out of an excerpt.

The point, in a small example

Similar rectangular regions can be tables, forms or pictures. Choose the class from the content and role before choosing the output syntax; these samples omit optional boxes. These pages are made up to isolate the rule.

✅ SampleConstructedThe rule applies

A pictured table stays a table

The image contains a two-column table. Preserve both rows and the printed headers; a prose summary loses the cell relationships.

Source page

Non-conforming output

What the rule rules out.

Markdown

A table listing stationery supplies.

Expected output

Markdown

<table>
<tr><th>Item</th><th>Count</th></tr>
<tr><td>Pencils</td><td>12</td></tr>
<tr><td>Pens</td><td>7</td></tr>
</table>

✅ SampleConstructedThe rule applies

Keep values verbatim and blank fields explicit

These are labeled fill-in fields, not a table. Keep leading zeros and the ambiguous date exactly as printed; do not infer a currency or expand the date. The third answer line is empty.

Source page

Non-conforming output

What the rule rules out.

Markdown

- **Amount:** $12.50
- **Date:** March 4, 2026

Expected output

Markdown

- \[1\] **Amount:** 0012.50
- \[2\] **Date:** 03/04/26
- \[3\] **Reference:** [blank]

✅ SampleConstructedThe rule applies

A flow image becomes a diagram

Keep all three printed labels and both directed connections. This simple flow fits Mermaid; other faithful supported diagram languages are valid.

Source page

Non-conforming output

What the rule rules out.

Markdown

[A three-step process diagram]

Expected output

Markdown

```diagram/mermaid
flowchart LR
  A[Receive] --> B[Review]
  B --> C[Archive]
```

Elements inside elements

A table contains cells; a list contains items; a form contains fields. These inner elements are rendered inside their parent's Markdown and receive boxes only at the granularity that was requested — see Boxes and Granularity (§3.3).

A table or chart caption is rendered inside its object's <table> but retains the Caption class and its own layout box. HTML nesting does not merge the caption into the Table or Picture class.

Content outside the reading flow

Watermarks, margin banners, stamps, seals, handwriting and sidenotes are elements too. Each has a defined place in the Markdown even though it sits outside the body flow on the page — see Watermarks (§7.3.13), Margin Banners (§7.3.5), Seals and Round Stamps (§7.3.9), Handwritten Annotations (§7.3.3) and Marginal Notes (§6.4).

Rule id output-elements · output output-model layout

When it applies

The point, in a small example

Elements inside elements

Content outside the reading flow

Neighbouring rules, and how they differ

More