# Creating notations

Notations are means of associating a binary description with an entity or attribute. The most common uses of notations are to include familiar types of binary references, such as GIFs and JPGs, in an XML file.

For example, you are making a catalogue of your clothing and want to include an image of one of your shirts. You would have to create a notation similar to this one: `<!NOTATION myshirt SYSTEM "GIF">` which defines a notation for a GIF image.

To create a notation, follow these steps:

1. Open your DTD in the DTD editor.
2. In the Outline view, right-click the DTD and select Add Notation .
3. In the Properties view, type the name of the notation in the Name field.
4. (Optional) In the Public ID field, type any information you want to supply to the user or application. For example, a description of what the notation refers to.
5. In the System ID field, type any information to be passed along to the application dealing with the binary data. For example, a URL.
6. Click the Documentation tab if you want to provide any information about this notation. The Documentation page is used for human readable material, such as a description of the notation contents.

Parent topic: Editing DTDs

Related tasks
Deleting elements, attributes, entities, notations, and comments

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