headern

Headern is a concept in digital document processing that refers to a structured, semantic system for defining and rendering document headers across formats such as web pages, e-books, and PDFs. It emphasizes the meaning and organization of headings rather than their presentation alone.

Structure and core ideas: In Headern, a document is represented as a tree of header nodes. Each node contains a level (typically 1 to 6), a title, a unique identifier, and optional metadata (for example author, date, or tags). The root node represents the document as a whole, and child nodes denote subsections. This structure enables reliable generation of navigational elements such as tables of contents and section lists, and supports accessibility features by exposing semantic roles.

Data representation: Headern data can be serialized in JSON or a compact binary form. Example: { "id": "sec1", "title": "Overview", "level": 1, "metadata": { "date": "2025-01-01" }, "children": [ { "id": "sec1.1", "title": "Background", "level": 2 } ] }

Relation to standards: Headern is inspired by semantic heading hierarchies in HTML (h1–h6) and outline algorithms used by screen readers. It aims to provide a portable schema for tools that generate ToCs, outlines, or accessible navigation across formats.

Applications and scope: It is used in content management systems, documentation generators, e-book pipelines, and technical standards repositories to separate content structure from presentation.

History and status: Headern has appeared in community-developed documentation and experimental projects. It is not, as of this writing, a formal standard published by a standards body; adopters typically integrate it as a convention within their tooling.