---
title: "Cross-reference (xref) label"
source: https://dev.pageseeder.com/reference/glossary/cross_reference_label.html
description: "A cross-reference label is a tag attached to an xref that describes the relationship between documents. Labels follow a naming convention based on the forward direction, such as \"parent\" or \"child,\" to clarify directionality between source and target documents."
last_updated: 2026-09-05T17:36:31+10:00
tokens: ~183
---

# Cross-reference (xref) label

A [label](labels.md) attached to an [xref](cross_reference.md).

When the xref is bidirectional, the same label is associated with both directions.

To avoid confusion, the convention is to name the label in relation to the forward direction. For example, if a label is used to express a parent/child relationship between A and B, A being the parent and A linking to B, then name the label as ‘child’. If B linked to A, then name the label as ‘parent’.

The **source** document refers to the document containing the original xref in its content. The **target** document refers to document being pointed at.



![Xref label example](/content/reference/glossary/../../images/glossary/xref_label.svg)