---
title: Glossary layout
tags: [formatting, special-layouts]
keywords: definitions, glossaries, terms, style guide
last_updated: August 12, 2015
summary: "Your glossary page can take advantage of definitions stored in a data file. This gives you the ability to reuse the same definition in multiple places. Additionally, you can use Bootstrap classes to arrange your definition list horizontally."
---
{% include linkrefs.html %} 

You can create a glossary for your content. First create your glossary items in a data file such as glossary.yml. 

Then create a page and use definition list formatting, like this:

```html
<dl class="dl">

<dt id="fractious">fractious</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.fractious}}</dd>

<dt id="gratuitous">gratuitous</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.gratuitous}}</dd>

<dt id="haughty">haughty</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.haughty}}</dd>

<dt id="gratuitous">gratuitous</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.gratuitous}}</dd>

<dt id="impertinent">impertinent</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.impertinent}}</dd>

<dt id="intrepid">intrepid</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.intrepid}}</dd>

</dl>
```

Here's what that looks like: 

<dl class="dl">

<dt id="fractious">fractious</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.fractious}}</dd>

<dt id="gratuitous">gratuitous</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.gratuitous}}</dd>

<dt id="haughty">haughty</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.haughty}}</dd>

<dt id="benchmark_id">gratuitous</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.gratuitous}}</dd>

<dt id="impertinent">impertinent</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.impertinent}}</dd>

<dt id="intrepid">intrepid</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.intrepid}}</dd>

</dl>

The glossary works well as a link in the top navigation bar.

## Horizontally styled definiton lists

You can also change the definition list (`dl`) class to `dl-horizontal`. This is a Bootstrap specific class. If you do, the styling looks like this:

<dl class="dl-horizontal">

<dt id="fractious">fractious</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.fractious}}</dd>

<dt id="gratuitous">gratuitous</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.gratuitous}}</dd>

<dt id="haughty">haughty</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.haughty}}</dd>

<dt id="benchmark_id">gratuitous</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.gratuitous}}</dd>

<dt id="impertinent">impertinent</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.impertinent}}</dd>

<dt id="intrepid">intrepid</dt>
<dd>{{site.data.glossary.intrepid}}</dd>

</dl>

If you squish your screen small enough, at a certain breakpoint this style reverts to the regular `dl` class. 

Although I like the side-by-side view for shorter definitions, I found it problematic with longer definitions.