XPS documents and page markup

XPS markup is a subset of the XAML used by Windows Presentation Foundation, in the namespace http://schemas.microsoft.com/xps/2005/06. Lengths are in device-independent units of 1/96 inch, with the origin at the top left of the page and y increasing downwards. Element and attribute names are case-sensitive.

FixedDocumentSequence and FixedDocument

Element	Attributes	Content
`FixedDocumentSequence`		One or more `DocumentReference`.
`DocumentReference`	`Source` (required): the fixed document part	Empty.
`FixedDocument`		One or more `PageContent`, in page order.
`PageContent`	`Source` (required): the page part; `Width`, `Height`: hints of the page size	Optional `PageContent.LinkTargets`.
`PageContent.LinkTargets`		`LinkTarget` elements.
`LinkTarget`	`Name`: a `Name` on the page that hyperlinks can point to	Empty. Lets a reader find a link’s page without opening every page.

FixedPage

Attribute	Meaning
`Width`, `Height`	Required: the page size, such as 816 × 1056 for US Letter and 793.7 × 1122.5 for A4.
`ContentBox`	`x,y,width,height`: the area with content, inside margins.
`BleedBox`	The area including bleed, which may extend beyond the page.
`xml:lang`	Required: the language of the page’s text, or `und`.
`Name`	A name for the page as a link target.

Children: an optional FixedPage.Resources holding one ResourceDictionary, then any number of Path, Glyphs and Canvas elements, drawn in order.

Attributes shared by Canvas, Path and Glyphs

Attribute	Meaning
`RenderTransform`	A matrix `m11,m12,m21,m22,dx,dy` applied to the element (or a `.RenderTransform` child with a `MatrixTransform`).
`Clip`	A geometry clipping the element: abbreviated syntax or a resource reference.
`Opacity`	0.0 to 1.0, default 1.
`OpacityMask`	A brush whose alpha masks the element.
`Name`	An identifier, a link target.
`FixedPage.NavigateUri`	Makes the element a hyperlink: an absolute URI, or a relative one to a part with `#name`.
`xml:lang`	Language of contained text.
`x:Key`	Only inside resource dictionaries: the resource’s key.

Each attribute that takes a complex value can instead be written as a child property element, such as <Path.Fill> or <Canvas.Clip>.

Canvas

Groups elements so that a transform, clip, opacity or link applies to all of them. Extra attributes: RenderOptions.EdgeMode (Aliased turns off anti-aliasing), AutomationProperties.Name and AutomationProperties.HelpText (accessibility text). Children: Canvas.Resources, then Path, Glyphs and Canvas.

Path

Attribute	Meaning
`Data`	The geometry: abbreviated syntax or a `PathGeometry` resource.
`Fill`	A brush or colour to fill the interior.
`Stroke`	A brush or colour for the outline.
`StrokeThickness`	Line width, default 1.
`StrokeDashArray`	Dash and gap lengths, as multiples of the thickness.
`StrokeDashOffset`	Where the dash pattern starts.
`StrokeDashCap`	`Flat` (default), `Round`, `Square`, `Triangle`.
`StrokeStartLineCap`, `StrokeEndLineCap`	Same values: the caps at the ends of open figures.
`StrokeLineJoin`	`Miter` (default), `Bevel`, `Round`.
`StrokeMiterLimit`	Default 10, at least 1.
`SnapsToDevicePixels`	`true` or `false`: a rendering hint.
`AutomationProperties.Name`, `.HelpText`	Accessibility text, for images especially.

Glyphs

A run of text in one font and size. See text, fonts and images for Indices and the other text attributes: FontUri, FontRenderingEmSize, OriginX, OriginY, UnicodeString, Indices, BidiLevel, IsSideways, CaretStops, DeviceFontName, StyleSimulations, Fill.

Resource dictionaries

A ResourceDictionary holds brushes, geometries, transforms and Canvas elements, each with an x:Key. Its Source attribute may instead point to a remote dictionary part. Elements refer to a resource by {StaticResource key} in an attribute, looked up in the enclosing elements’ dictionaries and then the page’s. Resources must be defined before use and cannot refer forward.

Document structure

Optional parts describe the reading structure (namespace http://schemas.microsoft.com/xps/2005/06/documentstructure):

Element	Meaning
`DocumentStructure`	Root of the document structure part; holds `DocumentStructure.Outline` and `Story` elements.
`DocumentOutline`, `OutlineEntry`	The outline (bookmarks): each entry has `OutlineLevel`, `OutlineTarget` (a URI with `#name`), `Description` and `xml:lang`.
`Story`, `StoryFragmentReference`	A story (an article flowing across pages) and the fragments on each page (`Page` attribute).
`StoryFragments`, `StoryFragment`	Root of a page’s story fragments part; each fragment has `StoryName`, `FragmentName`, `FragmentType` (`Content`, `Header`, `Footer`).
`SectionStructure`, `ParagraphStructure`, `TableStructure`, `TableRowGroupStructure`, `TableRowStructure`, `TableCellStructure`, `ListStructure`, `ListItemStructure`, `FigureStructure`	The logical structure, with `NamedElement` children pointing (`NameReference`) at named page elements.

Example

<FixedPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/xps/2005/06"
           Width="816" Height="1056" xml:lang="en-GB">
  <Path Data="M 96,96 L 720,96 L 720,200 L 96,200 Z" Fill="#FFEEEEEE"
        Stroke="#FF000000" StrokeThickness="2"/>
  <Glyphs FontUri="/Resources/Fonts/arial.ttf" FontRenderingEmSize="24"
          OriginX="120" OriginY="160" UnicodeString="Hello, page one"
          Fill="#FF000000"/>
</FixedPage>

Sources

ECMA-388 – Open XML Paper Specification, first edition (2009): §9.3 markup model and xml:lang, §10 documents and fixed pages, §11 the Path element and stroke attributes, §14 opacity, resources and their scoping, clipping, §16 document structure and hyperlinks, §19 element reference
Library of Congress: XPS – the Microsoft namespace http://schemas.microsoft.com/xps/2005/06 used by XPS 1.0 files

.XPS File Format – Documents and page markup