clear="..." - Block Cleared from Side-Float

This section provides a tutorial example on how to use the clear='...' attribute to clear a block from side-float blocks.

If you are using a side-float block, and you want only the first next block to be formatted around the floated block. You want the second next block be formatted from the side edge of the parent area, not around the floated block. You can use the clear="..." attribute on the second next block to push it down be "cleared" from the floated block.

The clear="..." attribute supports 8 values: start, end, left, right, inside, outside, both and none. The default is clear="none".

Here is my tutorial example, Block-Cleared-of-Side-Float.fo, that has a block cleared of side-float on "both" sides:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!-- Block-Cleared-from-Side-Float.fo
 - Copyright (c) 2016, HerongYang.com, All Rights Reserved.
-->
<fo:root xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format">
 <fo:layout-master-set>
  <fo:simple-page-master master-name="page" 
   margin="0.1in" page-height="3in" page-width="2in">
   <fo:region-body region-name="body" background-color="#eeeeee"/>
  </fo:simple-page-master>
 </fo:layout-master-set>
 <fo:page-sequence master-reference="page">
  <fo:flow flow-name="body">
   <fo:block margin="0in" padding="0.03in" font-size="3pt"
    background-color="transparent" text-align="justify">
Appeared in English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, first published 
in 1890.
   </fo:block> 
   <fo:float float="start">
    <fo:block-container width="0.75in">
     <fo:block margin-left="0in" margin-right="0.1in" padding="0.03in"
      border-width="1px" border-style="solid"
      background-color="#ffeeff" font-weight="bold" font-size="7pt">
      (side-float) The Three Little Pigs
     </fo:block>
    </fo:block-container>
   </fo:float>
   <fo:block margin="0in" padding="0.03in" font-size="3pt"
    background-color="transparent" text-align="justify">
(not cleared block) Once upon a time there was not one, not two but three 
little pigs who lived with their mother. Early one 
morning they woke up and their mother said "you're too 
big for this house and it is time you left home."
   </fo:block>
   <fo:block clear="both" 
    margin="0in" padding="0.03in" font-size="3pt"
    background-color="transparent" text-align="justify">
(cleared block) So they walked and they walked and they walked.
The first little pig made a house out of straw. 
Unfortunately, a wolf came creeping by.

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in". "No, no, no by 
the hairs of my chinny chin chin I will not let you in". 
"Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house 
down". So the wolf huffed and he puffed and he blew the 
house down.

So the first little pig ran away to find his brothers.
   </fo:block>
  </fo:flow>
 </fo:page-sequence>
</fo:root>

Since Apache FOP 2.1 does not support "float" formatting objects, you need to use RenderX XEP to process the above example. The resulting PDF file shows side-float block with one subsequent block formatted around it and another cleared from it:

Block Cleared from a Side-Float

Last update: 2016.

Table of Contents

 About This XSL-FO Tutorial Book

 Introduction of XSL-FO

 Apache™ FOP (Formatting Objects Processor)

 RenderX XEP as an XSL-FO Tool

 Introduction of Area Model

 XSL-FO Document Basics and Examples

 Page Layout Masters

 Block-Level Formatting Objects

 Inline-Level Formatting Objects

 Including Graphics in XSL-FO document

 Table of Rows and Columns

 List, Item, Label, and Body

Floating Blocks - "float" and "footnote"

 What Is "float" Formatting Object?

 "float" Formatting Object Shifting to Left

clear="..." - Block Cleared from Side-Float

 "float" Formatting Object Moving to Top

 Adding "xsl-before-float" Separator

 "footnote" Formatting Object

 Adding "xsl-footnote" Separator

 Hyperlinks, Table of Contents and Indexes

 Headers and Footers using "static-content"

 Font Attributes and Font Families

 Apache FOP Font Configurations

 RenderX XEP Font Configurations

 References

 PDF Printing Version