# apiSyntaxText

The <apiSyntaxText> element provides the representation in the programming language for the declared interface for the API item.

#### Description

In the <apiDef> element, the <apiSyntaxText> element can supplement or replace the semantic declaration of the same interface. When a specialization provides a complete representation of the interface within a specialized <apiDef> element, the <apiSyntaxText> element can be omitted. The Java DITA API reference takes this approach.

#### Example

The following example shows a simple <apiSyntaxText> element for a Visual Basic statement:

    <apiClassifier id="rational.xde" outputclass="statement" platform="vb">
        <apiName>TestImplements</apiName>
        <shortdesc>Specifies one or more interfaces or interface members.</shortdesc>
        <apiClassifierDetail>
           <apiSyntax platform="vb">
            <apiSyntaxText>Implements <apiItemName>IRXEAbstraction</apiItemName> <apiItemName>TestImplements</apiItemName>[, …]<apiRelation
            </apiSyntaxText>
            <apiSyntaxItem>
              <apiItemName>IRXEAbstraction</apiItemName>
              <apiDefNote>Required. An interface whose properties, methods, and events will be
                 implemented by corresponding members in the class or structure.</apiDefNote>
            </apiSyntaxItem>
            <apiSyntaxItem>
             <apiItemName>TestImplements</apiItemName>
               <apiDefNote>Required. The member of an interface that is being implemented.</apiDefNote>
            </apiSyntaxItem>
          </apiSyntax>
          <apiDesc>...</apiDesc>
    </apiClassifier>

#### Contained by

apiSyntax

#### Contains

apiData, apiItemName, apiname, apiRelation, apiType, cmdname, draft-comment, fn, indexterm, indextermref, keyword, msgnum, option, parmname, required-cleanup, varname, wintitle

#### Content model

(text data or apiRelation or apiType or apiItemName or apiData or keyword or option or parmname or apiname or cmdname or msgnum or varname or wintitle or draft-comment or required-cleanup or fn or indextermref or indexterm) (any number)

#### Inheritance

topic/pre reference/pre

Parent topic: apiSyntax