info@titaniasoftware.com | 734.786.8225

Expand All | Collapse All | This Topic

Chapter 1: Introduction
- 1.1.1: Terminology
- 1.1.2: Normative references
- 1.1.3: Non-normative references
- 1.1.4: Formatting conventions in the XHTML version of the specification
Chapter 2: Architectural specification
- 2.2.1: Base architecture
  - 2.2.1.1: Introduction to DITA
    - 2.2.1.1.1: About the specification source
    - 2.2.1.1.2: DITA terminology and notation
    - 2.2.1.1.3: Basic concepts
    - 2.2.1.1.4: File naming conventions
    - 2.2.1.1.5: Producing different deliverables from a single source
  - 2.2.1.2: DITA markup
    - 2.2.1.2.1: DITA topics
      - 2.2.1.2.1.1: The topic as the basic unit of information
      - 2.2.1.2.1.2: The benefits of a topic-based architecture
        
        2.2.1.2.1.2.1: Disciplined, topic-oriented writing
        
        2.2.1.2.1.2.2: Transitional text solutions
      - 2.2.1.2.1.3: Information typing
      - 2.2.1.2.1.4: Generic topics
      - 2.2.1.2.1.5: Topic structure
      - 2.2.1.2.1.6: Topic content
      - 2.2.1.2.1.7: Topic domains: Basic DITA
    - 2.2.1.2.2: DITA maps
      - 2.2.1.2.2.1: Definition of DITA maps
      - 2.2.1.2.2.2: Purpose of DITA maps
      - 2.2.1.2.2.3: DITA map elements
      - 2.2.1.2.2.4: DITA map attributes
      - 2.2.1.2.2.5: Subject scheme maps
    - 2.2.1.2.3: DITA metadata
      - 2.2.1.2.3.1: Metadata elements
      - 2.2.1.2.3.2: Metadata attributes
        
        2.2.1.2.3.2.1: Conditional processing attributes
        
        2.2.1.2.3.2.2: Translation and localization attributes
        
        2.2.1.2.3.2.3: Architectural attributes
      - 2.2.1.2.3.3: Metadata in maps and topics
      - 2.2.1.2.3.4: Cascading of attributes and metadata in a DITA map
      - 2.2.1.2.3.5: Map-to-map cascading behaviors
      - 2.2.1.2.3.6: Reconciling topic and map metadata
  - 2.2.1.3: DITA processing
    - 2.2.1.3.1: Module compatibility and the @domains attribute
    - 2.2.1.3.2: Navigation behaviors
    - 2.2.1.3.3: DITA linking
      - 2.2.1.3.3.1: Links within maps
      - 2.2.1.3.3.2: Links within topics
    - 2.2.1.3.4: DITA addressing
      - 2.2.1.3.4.1: ID attribute
      - 2.2.1.3.4.2: URI-based (direct) addressing
      - 2.2.1.3.4.3: Key-based addressing
        
        2.2.1.3.4.3.1: Overview of keys
        
        2.2.1.3.4.3.2: Using keys to address DITA elements
        
        2.2.1.3.4.3.3: Processing key references
        
        2.2.1.3.4.3.4: Examples of keys
      - 2.2.1.3.4.4: Summary of addressing elements
    - 2.2.1.3.5: Content inclusion (conref)
    - 2.2.1.3.6: Conditional processing (profiling)
    - 2.2.1.3.7: Chunking
    - 2.2.1.3.8: Printing
    - 2.2.1.3.9: Translation and localization
      - 2.2.1.3.9.1: The @xml:lang attribute
      - 2.2.1.3.9.2: The dir attribute
  - 2.2.1.4: Configuration, specialization, and constraints
    - 2.2.1.4.1: Overview of DITA extension facilities
      - 2.2.1.4.1.1: Recognized XML document constraint mechanisms
    - 2.2.1.4.2: Configuration (Document type shells)
      - 2.2.1.4.2.1: DTD document-type shell: Coding requirements
      - 2.2.1.4.2.2: XSD document-type shell: Coding requirements
    - 2.2.1.4.3: Specialization
      - 2.2.1.4.3.1: Vocabulary modules
      - 2.2.1.4.3.2: Requirements for specialized element types and attributes
      - 2.2.1.4.3.3: Element type specialization hierarchy declaration (the @class attribute)
      - 2.2.1.4.3.4: Domain usage declaration (the @domains attribute)
      - 2.2.1.4.3.5: Generalization
      - 2.2.1.4.3.6: Attribute generalization
      - 2.2.1.4.3.7: Specializing foreign or unknown content
      - 2.2.1.4.3.8: Specialization module coding requirements
        
        2.2.1.4.3.8.1: DTD syntax specialization module coding requirements
        
        2.2.1.4.3.8.1.1: General element type declaration coding requirements
        
        2.2.1.4.3.8.1.2: Structural module coding requirements
        
        2.2.1.4.3.8.1.3: Topic type module coding requirements
        
        2.2.1.4.3.8.1.4: Element domain module coding requirements
        
        2.2.1.4.3.8.1.5: Attribute domain module coding requirements
        
        2.2.1.4.3.8.2: XSD schema specialization module coding requirements
        
        2.2.1.4.3.8.2.1: General element type declaration coding requirements
        
        2.2.1.4.3.8.2.2: Structural specialization coding requirements
        
        2.2.1.4.3.8.2.3: Attribute domain coding requirements
    - 2.2.1.4.4: Constraints
      - 2.2.1.4.4.1: Constraint module DTD coding requirements
      - 2.2.1.4.4.2: Constraint module XSD coding requirements
      - 2.2.1.4.4.3: Conref and generalization for constraint modules
      - 2.2.1.4.4.4: Examples of constraint declaration modules
- 2.2.2: Technical content architecture
  - 2.2.2.1: Overview of the DITA 1.2 Specification: Technical Content
  - 2.2.2.2: Technical content: Document and information types
    - 2.2.2.2.1: Concept topic
    - 2.2.2.2.2: Reference topic
    - 2.2.2.2.3: General task topic
    - 2.2.2.2.4: Task topic (strict task)
    - 2.2.2.2.5: Machinery Task topic
    - 2.2.2.2.6: Glossary entry topic
    - 2.2.2.2.7: Glossary group topic
    - 2.2.2.2.8: Bookmap
  - 2.2.2.3: Topic domains: Technical content
  - 2.2.2.4: The xNAL domain
- 2.2.3: Learning and training architecture
  - 2.2.3.1: Overview
  - 2.2.3.2: Objectives of the DITA Learning and Training Specialization
  - 2.2.3.3: A learning objects approach to learning and training content
  - 2.2.3.4: Use cases
  - 2.2.3.5: Summary of learning topic, map, and domain designs
Chapter 3: Language reference
- 3.3.1: Base elements
  - 3.3.1.1: Topic elements
    - 3.3.1.1.1: Basic topic elements
      - 3.3.1.1.1.1: topic
      - 3.3.1.1.1.2: title
      - 3.3.1.1.1.3: titlealts
      - 3.3.1.1.1.4: searchtitle
      - 3.3.1.1.1.5: navtitle
      - 3.3.1.1.1.6: shortdesc
      - 3.3.1.1.1.7: abstract
      - 3.3.1.1.1.8: body
      - 3.3.1.1.1.9: bodydiv
      - 3.3.1.1.1.10: related-links
      - 3.3.1.1.1.11: dita
    - 3.3.1.1.2: Body elements
      - 3.3.1.1.2.1: alt
      - 3.3.1.1.2.2: cite
      - 3.3.1.1.2.3: dd
      - 3.3.1.1.2.4: desc
      - 3.3.1.1.2.5: ddhd
      - 3.3.1.1.2.6: dl
      - 3.3.1.1.2.7: dlentry
      - 3.3.1.1.2.8: dlhead
      - 3.3.1.1.2.9: dt
      - 3.3.1.1.2.10: draft-comment
      - 3.3.1.1.2.11: dthd
      - 3.3.1.1.2.12: example
      - 3.3.1.1.2.13: fig
      - 3.3.1.1.2.14: figgroup
      - 3.3.1.1.2.15: fn
      - 3.3.1.1.2.16: image
      - 3.3.1.1.2.17: keyword
      - 3.3.1.1.2.18: li
      - 3.3.1.1.2.19: lines
      - 3.3.1.1.2.20: longdescref
      - 3.3.1.1.2.21: longquoteref
      - 3.3.1.1.2.22: lq
      - 3.3.1.1.2.23: object
      - 3.3.1.1.2.24: note
      - 3.3.1.1.2.25: ol
      - 3.3.1.1.2.26: p
      - 3.3.1.1.2.27: param
      - 3.3.1.1.2.28: ph
      - 3.3.1.1.2.29: pre
      - 3.3.1.1.2.30: q
      - 3.3.1.1.2.31: section
      - 3.3.1.1.2.32: sectiondiv
      - 3.3.1.1.2.33: sl
      - 3.3.1.1.2.34: sli
      - 3.3.1.1.2.35: term
      - 3.3.1.1.2.36: text
      - 3.3.1.1.2.37: tm
      - 3.3.1.1.2.38: ul
      - 3.3.1.1.2.39: xref
    - 3.3.1.1.3: Table elements
      - 3.3.1.1.3.1: table
      - 3.3.1.1.3.2: tgroup
      - 3.3.1.1.3.3: colspec
      - 3.3.1.1.3.4: thead
      - 3.3.1.1.3.5: tbody
      - 3.3.1.1.3.6: row
      - 3.3.1.1.3.7: entry
      - 3.3.1.1.3.8: simpletable
      - 3.3.1.1.3.9: sthead
      - 3.3.1.1.3.10: strow
      - 3.3.1.1.3.11: stentry
    - 3.3.1.1.4: Related links elements
      - 3.3.1.1.4.1: link
      - 3.3.1.1.4.2: linklist
      - 3.3.1.1.4.3: linkpool
      - 3.3.1.1.4.4: linktext
      - 3.3.1.1.4.5: linkinfo
  - 3.3.1.2: Map elements
    - 3.3.1.2.1: Basic map elements
      - 3.3.1.2.1.1: map
      - 3.3.1.2.1.2: topicref
      - 3.3.1.2.1.3: topicmeta
      - 3.3.1.2.1.4: anchor
      - 3.3.1.2.1.5: navref
      - 3.3.1.2.1.6: reltable
      - 3.3.1.2.1.7: relrow
      - 3.3.1.2.1.8: relcell
      - 3.3.1.2.1.9: relheader
      - 3.3.1.2.1.10: relcolspec
    - 3.3.1.2.2: Map group elements
      - 3.3.1.2.2.1: anchorref
      - 3.3.1.2.2.2: keydef
      - 3.3.1.2.2.3: mapref
      - 3.3.1.2.2.4: topicgroup
      - 3.3.1.2.2.5: topichead
      - 3.3.1.2.2.6: topicset
      - 3.3.1.2.2.7: topicsetref
  - 3.3.1.3: Metadata elements
    - 3.3.1.3.1: Prolog (metadata) elements
      - 3.3.1.3.1.1: prolog
      - 3.3.1.3.1.2: audience
      - 3.3.1.3.1.3: author
      - 3.3.1.3.1.4: brand
      - 3.3.1.3.1.5: category
      - 3.3.1.3.1.6: component
      - 3.3.1.3.1.7: copyright
      - 3.3.1.3.1.8: copyrholder
      - 3.3.1.3.1.9: copyryear
      - 3.3.1.3.1.10: created
      - 3.3.1.3.1.11: critdates
      - 3.3.1.3.1.12: featnum
      - 3.3.1.3.1.13: keywords
      - 3.3.1.3.1.14: metadata
      - 3.3.1.3.1.15: othermeta
      - 3.3.1.3.1.16: permissions
      - 3.3.1.3.1.17: platform
      - 3.3.1.3.1.18: prodinfo
      - 3.3.1.3.1.19: prodname
      - 3.3.1.3.1.20: prognum
      - 3.3.1.3.1.21: publisher
      - 3.3.1.3.1.22: resourceid
      - 3.3.1.3.1.23: revised
      - 3.3.1.3.1.24: series
      - 3.3.1.3.1.25: source
      - 3.3.1.3.1.26: vrmlist
      - 3.3.1.3.1.27: vrm
    - 3.3.1.3.2: Indexing group elements
      - 3.3.1.3.2.1: indexterm
      - 3.3.1.3.2.2: indextermref
      - 3.3.1.3.2.3: index-see
      - 3.3.1.3.2.4: index-see-also
      - 3.3.1.3.2.5: index-sort-as
    - 3.3.1.3.3: Delayed conref resolution elements
      - 3.3.1.3.3.1: exportanchors
      - 3.3.1.3.3.2: anchorid
      - 3.3.1.3.3.3: anchorkey
  - 3.3.1.4: Domain elements
    - 3.3.1.4.1: Hazard statement elements
      - 3.3.1.4.1.1: hazardstatement
      - 3.3.1.4.1.2: consequence
      - 3.3.1.4.1.3: hazardsymbol
      - 3.3.1.4.1.4: howtoavoid
      - 3.3.1.4.1.5: messagepanel
      - 3.3.1.4.1.6: typeofhazard
    - 3.3.1.4.2: Typographic elements
      - 3.3.1.4.2.1: b
      - 3.3.1.4.2.2: i
      - 3.3.1.4.2.3: sup
      - 3.3.1.4.2.4: sub
      - 3.3.1.4.2.5: tt
      - 3.3.1.4.2.6: u
    - 3.3.1.4.3: Utilities elements
      - 3.3.1.4.3.1: area
      - 3.3.1.4.3.2: coords
      - 3.3.1.4.3.3: imagemap
      - 3.3.1.4.3.4: shape
  - 3.3.1.5: Classification elements
    - 3.3.1.5.1: Subject scheme maps
      - 3.3.1.5.1.1: subjectScheme
      - 3.3.1.5.1.2: schemeref
      - 3.3.1.5.1.3: hasInstance
      - 3.3.1.5.1.4: hasKind
      - 3.3.1.5.1.5: hasNarrower
      - 3.3.1.5.1.6: hasPart
      - 3.3.1.5.1.7: hasRelated
      - 3.3.1.5.1.8: enumerationdef
      - 3.3.1.5.1.9: elementdef
      - 3.3.1.5.1.10: attributedef
      - 3.3.1.5.1.11: defaultSubject
      - 3.3.1.5.1.12: subjectHead
      - 3.3.1.5.1.13: subjectHeadMeta
      - 3.3.1.5.1.14: subjectdef
      - 3.3.1.5.1.15: relatedSubjects
      - 3.3.1.5.1.16: subjectRelTable
      - 3.3.1.5.1.17: subjectRelHeader
      - 3.3.1.5.1.18: subjectRel
      - 3.3.1.5.1.19: subjectRole
    - 3.3.1.5.2: Classification domain elements
      - 3.3.1.5.2.1: subjectref
      - 3.3.1.5.2.2: topicapply
      - 3.3.1.5.2.3: topicsubject
      - 3.3.1.5.2.4: topicSubjectTable
      - 3.3.1.5.2.5: topicSubjectHeader
      - 3.3.1.5.2.6: topicSubjectRow
      - 3.3.1.5.2.7: topicCell
      - 3.3.1.5.2.8: subjectCell
  - 3.3.1.6: Specialization elements
    - 3.3.1.6.1: boolean
    - 3.3.1.6.2: data
    - 3.3.1.6.3: data-about
    - 3.3.1.6.4: foreign
    - 3.3.1.6.5: index-base
    - 3.3.1.6.6: itemgroup
    - 3.3.1.6.7: no-topic-nesting
    - 3.3.1.6.8: state
    - 3.3.1.6.9: unknown
  - 3.3.1.7: Legacy conversion elements
    - 3.3.1.7.1: required-cleanup
  - 3.3.1.8: DITAVAL elements
    - 3.3.1.8.1: val
    - 3.3.1.8.2: style-conflict
    - 3.3.1.8.3: prop
    - 3.3.1.8.4: revprop
    - 3.3.1.8.5: startflag
    - 3.3.1.8.6: endflag
    - 3.3.1.8.7: alt-text
- 3.3.2: Technical content elements
  - 3.3.2.1: Concept elements
    - 3.3.2.1.1: concept
    - 3.3.2.1.2: conbody
    - 3.3.2.1.3: conbodydiv
  - 3.3.2.2: Task elements
    - 3.3.2.2.1: task
    - 3.3.2.2.2: taskbody
    - 3.3.2.2.3: prereq
    - 3.3.2.2.4: context
    - 3.3.2.2.5: steps
    - 3.3.2.2.6: steps-informal
    - 3.3.2.2.7: steps-unordered
    - 3.3.2.2.8: step
    - 3.3.2.2.9: stepsection
    - 3.3.2.2.10: cmd
    - 3.3.2.2.11: info
    - 3.3.2.2.12: substeps
    - 3.3.2.2.13: substep
    - 3.3.2.2.14: stepxmp
    - 3.3.2.2.15: choicetable
    - 3.3.2.2.16: chhead
    - 3.3.2.2.17: choptionhd
    - 3.3.2.2.18: chdeschd
    - 3.3.2.2.19: chrow
    - 3.3.2.2.20: choption
    - 3.3.2.2.21: chdesc
    - 3.3.2.2.22: choices
    - 3.3.2.2.23: choice
    - 3.3.2.2.24: stepresult
    - 3.3.2.2.25: tutorialinfo
    - 3.3.2.2.26: result
    - 3.3.2.2.27: postreq
  - 3.3.2.3: Reference elements
    - 3.3.2.3.1: reference
    - 3.3.2.3.2: refbody
    - 3.3.2.3.3: refbodydiv
    - 3.3.2.3.4: refsyn
    - 3.3.2.3.5: properties
    - 3.3.2.3.6: prophead
    - 3.3.2.3.7: proptypehd
    - 3.3.2.3.8: propvaluehd
    - 3.3.2.3.9: propdeschd
    - 3.3.2.3.10: property
    - 3.3.2.3.11: proptype
    - 3.3.2.3.12: propvalue
    - 3.3.2.3.13: propdesc
  - 3.3.2.4: Glossary elements
    - 3.3.2.4.1: Glossentry elements
      - 3.3.2.4.1.1: glossentry
      - 3.3.2.4.1.2: glossterm
      - 3.3.2.4.1.3: glossdef
      - 3.3.2.4.1.4: glossAbbreviation
      - 3.3.2.4.1.5: glossAcronym
      - 3.3.2.4.1.6: glossAlt
      - 3.3.2.4.1.7: glossAlternateFor
      - 3.3.2.4.1.8: glossBody
      - 3.3.2.4.1.9: glossPartOfSpeech
      - 3.3.2.4.1.10: glossProperty
      - 3.3.2.4.1.11: glossScopeNote
      - 3.3.2.4.1.12: glossShortForm
      - 3.3.2.4.1.13: glossStatus
      - 3.3.2.4.1.14: glossSurfaceForm
      - 3.3.2.4.1.15: glossSymbol
      - 3.3.2.4.1.16: glossSynonym
      - 3.3.2.4.1.17: glossUsage
    - 3.3.2.4.2: Glossary related elements
      - 3.3.2.4.2.1: abbreviated-form
      - 3.3.2.4.2.2: glossref
      - 3.3.2.4.2.3: glossgroup
  - 3.3.2.5: Bookmap elements
    - 3.3.2.5.1: Bookmap content elements
      - 3.3.2.5.1.1: bookmap
      - 3.3.2.5.1.2: abbrevlist
      - 3.3.2.5.1.3: amendments
      - 3.3.2.5.1.4: appendices
      - 3.3.2.5.1.5: appendix
      - 3.3.2.5.1.6: backmatter
      - 3.3.2.5.1.7: bibliolist
      - 3.3.2.5.1.8: bookabstract
      - 3.3.2.5.1.9: booklibrary
      - 3.3.2.5.1.10: booklist
      - 3.3.2.5.1.11: booklists
      - 3.3.2.5.1.12: booktitle
      - 3.3.2.5.1.13: booktitlealt
      - 3.3.2.5.1.14: chapter
      - 3.3.2.5.1.15: colophon
      - 3.3.2.5.1.16: dedication
      - 3.3.2.5.1.17: draftintro
      - 3.3.2.5.1.18: figurelist
      - 3.3.2.5.1.19: frontmatter
      - 3.3.2.5.1.20: glossarylist
      - 3.3.2.5.1.21: indexlist
      - 3.3.2.5.1.22: mainbooktitle
      - 3.3.2.5.1.23: notices
      - 3.3.2.5.1.24: part
      - 3.3.2.5.1.25: preface
      - 3.3.2.5.1.26: tablelist
      - 3.3.2.5.1.27: toc
      - 3.3.2.5.1.28: trademarklist
    - 3.3.2.5.2: Bookmap metadata elements
      - 3.3.2.5.2.1: bookmeta
      - 3.3.2.5.2.2: approved
      - 3.3.2.5.2.3: bookchangehistory
      - 3.3.2.5.2.4: bookevent
      - 3.3.2.5.2.5: bookeventtype
      - 3.3.2.5.2.6: bookid
      - 3.3.2.5.2.7: booknumber
      - 3.3.2.5.2.8: bookowner
      - 3.3.2.5.2.9: bookpartno
      - 3.3.2.5.2.10: bookrestriction
      - 3.3.2.5.2.11: bookrights
      - 3.3.2.5.2.12: completed
      - 3.3.2.5.2.13: copyrfirst
      - 3.3.2.5.2.14: copyrlast
      - 3.3.2.5.2.15: day
      - 3.3.2.5.2.16: edited
      - 3.3.2.5.2.17: edition
      - 3.3.2.5.2.18: isbn
      - 3.3.2.5.2.19: maintainer
      - 3.3.2.5.2.20: month
      - 3.3.2.5.2.21: organization
      - 3.3.2.5.2.22: person
      - 3.3.2.5.2.23: printlocation
      - 3.3.2.5.2.24: published
      - 3.3.2.5.2.25: publisherinformation
      - 3.3.2.5.2.26: publishtype
      - 3.3.2.5.2.27: reviewed
      - 3.3.2.5.2.28: revisionid
      - 3.3.2.5.2.29: started
      - 3.3.2.5.2.30: summary
      - 3.3.2.5.2.31: tested
      - 3.3.2.5.2.32: volume
      - 3.3.2.5.2.33: year
  - 3.3.2.6: Domain elements
    - 3.3.2.6.1: Task requirements domain
      - 3.3.2.6.1.1: prelreqs
      - 3.3.2.6.1.2: closereqs
      - 3.3.2.6.1.3: reqconds
      - 3.3.2.6.1.4: reqcond
      - 3.3.2.6.1.5: noconds
      - 3.3.2.6.1.6: reqcontp
      - 3.3.2.6.1.7: reqpers
      - 3.3.2.6.1.8: personnel
      - 3.3.2.6.1.9: perscat
      - 3.3.2.6.1.10: perskill
      - 3.3.2.6.1.11: esttime
      - 3.3.2.6.1.12: supeqli
      - 3.3.2.6.1.13: supequi
      - 3.3.2.6.1.14: supequip
      - 3.3.2.6.1.15: nosupeq
      - 3.3.2.6.1.16: supplies
      - 3.3.2.6.1.17: supply
      - 3.3.2.6.1.18: supplyli
      - 3.3.2.6.1.19: nosupply
      - 3.3.2.6.1.20: spare
      - 3.3.2.6.1.21: spares
      - 3.3.2.6.1.22: sparesli
      - 3.3.2.6.1.23: nospares
      - 3.3.2.6.1.24: nosafety
      - 3.3.2.6.1.25: safecond
      - 3.3.2.6.1.26: safety
    - 3.3.2.6.2: Programming elements
      - 3.3.2.6.2.1: apiname
      - 3.3.2.6.2.2: codeblock
      - 3.3.2.6.2.3: coderef
      - 3.3.2.6.2.4: codeph
      - 3.3.2.6.2.5: option
      - 3.3.2.6.2.6: parmname
      - 3.3.2.6.2.7: parml
      - 3.3.2.6.2.8: plentry
      - 3.3.2.6.2.9: pt
      - 3.3.2.6.2.10: pd
      - 3.3.2.6.2.11: synph
      - 3.3.2.6.2.12: syntaxdiagram
      - 3.3.2.6.2.13: groupseq
      - 3.3.2.6.2.14: groupchoice
      - 3.3.2.6.2.15: groupcomp
      - 3.3.2.6.2.16: fragment
      - 3.3.2.6.2.17: fragref
      - 3.3.2.6.2.18: synblk
      - 3.3.2.6.2.19: synnote
      - 3.3.2.6.2.20: synnoteref
      - 3.3.2.6.2.21: kwd
      - 3.3.2.6.2.22: var
      - 3.3.2.6.2.23: oper
      - 3.3.2.6.2.24: delim
      - 3.3.2.6.2.25: sep
      - 3.3.2.6.2.26: repsep
    - 3.3.2.6.3: Software elements
      - 3.3.2.6.3.1: msgph
      - 3.3.2.6.3.2: msgblock
      - 3.3.2.6.3.3: msgnum
      - 3.3.2.6.3.4: cmdname
      - 3.3.2.6.3.5: varname
      - 3.3.2.6.3.6: filepath
      - 3.3.2.6.3.7: userinput
      - 3.3.2.6.3.8: systemoutput
    - 3.3.2.6.4: User interface elements
      - 3.3.2.6.4.1: uicontrol
      - 3.3.2.6.4.2: wintitle
      - 3.3.2.6.4.3: menucascade
      - 3.3.2.6.4.4: shortcut
      - 3.3.2.6.4.5: screen
    - 3.3.2.6.5: xNAL domain elements
      - 3.3.2.6.5.1: xNAL usage guidelines
      - 3.3.2.6.5.2: authorinformation
      - 3.3.2.6.5.3: addressdetails
      - 3.3.2.6.5.4: administrativearea
      - 3.3.2.6.5.5: contactnumber
      - 3.3.2.6.5.6: contactnumbers
      - 3.3.2.6.5.7: country
      - 3.3.2.6.5.8: emailaddress
      - 3.3.2.6.5.9: emailaddresses
      - 3.3.2.6.5.10: firstname
      - 3.3.2.6.5.11: generationidentifier
      - 3.3.2.6.5.12: honorific
      - 3.3.2.6.5.13: lastname
      - 3.3.2.6.5.14: locality
      - 3.3.2.6.5.15: localityname
      - 3.3.2.6.5.16: middlename
      - 3.3.2.6.5.17: namedetails
      - 3.3.2.6.5.18: organizationinfo
      - 3.3.2.6.5.19: organizationname
      - 3.3.2.6.5.20: organizationnamedetails
      - 3.3.2.6.5.21: otherinfo
      - 3.3.2.6.5.22: personinfo
      - 3.3.2.6.5.23: personname
      - 3.3.2.6.5.24: postalcode
      - 3.3.2.6.5.25: thoroughfare
      - 3.3.2.6.5.26: url
      - 3.3.2.6.5.27: urls
- 3.3.3: Learning and training elements
  - 3.3.3.1: Learning and training topic elements
    - 3.3.3.1.1: learningOverview
    - 3.3.3.1.2: learningOverviewbody
    - 3.3.3.1.3: learningContent
    - 3.3.3.1.4: learningContentbody
    - 3.3.3.1.5: learningSummary
    - 3.3.3.1.6: learningSummarybody
    - 3.3.3.1.7: learningAssessment
    - 3.3.3.1.8: learningAssessmentbody
    - 3.3.3.1.9: learningPlan
    - 3.3.3.1.10: learningPlanbody
    - 3.3.3.1.11: learningBase
    - 3.3.3.1.12: learningBasebody
  - 3.3.3.2: Learning and training map domain elements
    - 3.3.3.2.1: learningGroup
    - 3.3.3.2.2: learningObject
    - 3.3.3.2.3: learningPlanRef
    - 3.3.3.2.4: learningPreAssessmentRef
    - 3.3.3.2.5: learningOverviewRef
    - 3.3.3.2.6: learningContentRef
    - 3.3.3.2.7: learningContentComponentRef
    - 3.3.3.2.8: learningSummaryRef
    - 3.3.3.2.9: learningPostAssessmentRef
  - 3.3.3.3: Learning and training interactions domain elements
    - 3.3.3.3.1: lcInstructornote
    - 3.3.3.3.2: DITA learning interaction base domain elements
      - 3.3.3.3.2.1: lcInteractionBase
      - 3.3.3.3.2.2: lcQuestionBase
      - 3.3.3.3.2.3: lcOpenQuestion
      - 3.3.3.3.2.4: lcTrueFalse
      - 3.3.3.3.2.5: lcSingleSelect
      - 3.3.3.3.2.6: lcMultipleSelect
      - 3.3.3.3.2.7: lcSequencing
      - 3.3.3.3.2.8: lcMatching
      - 3.3.3.3.2.9: lcHotspot
  - 3.3.3.4: Learning and training metadata elements
    - 3.3.3.4.1: lcLom
    - 3.3.3.4.2: lomAggregationLevel
    - 3.3.3.4.3: lomContext
    - 3.3.3.4.4: lomCoverage
    - 3.3.3.4.5: lomDifficulty
    - 3.3.3.4.6: lomInstallationRemarks
    - 3.3.3.4.7: lomIntendedUserRole
    - 3.3.3.4.8: lomInteractivityLevel
    - 3.3.3.4.9: lomInteractivityType
    - 3.3.3.4.10: lomLearningResourceType
    - 3.3.3.4.11: lomOtherPlatformRequirements
    - 3.3.3.4.12: lomSemanticDensity
    - 3.3.3.4.13: lomStructure
    - 3.3.3.4.14: lomTechRequirement
    - 3.3.3.4.15: lomTypicalAgeRange
    - 3.3.3.4.16: lomTypicalLearningTime
  - 3.3.3.5: Other learning and training elements
    - 3.3.3.5.1: Common learning interactions elements
      - 3.3.3.5.1.1: lcAnswerContent
      - 3.3.3.5.1.2: lcAnswerOption
      - 3.3.3.5.1.3: lcAnswerOptionGroup
      - 3.3.3.5.1.4: lcArea
      - 3.3.3.5.1.5: lcAreaCoords
      - 3.3.3.5.1.6: lcAreaShape
      - 3.3.3.5.1.7: lcAsset
      - 3.3.3.5.1.8: lcCorrectResponse
      - 3.3.3.5.1.9: lcFeedback
      - 3.3.3.5.1.10: lcFeedbackCorrect
      - 3.3.3.5.1.11: lcFeedbackIncorrect
      - 3.3.3.5.1.12: lcHotspotMap
      - 3.3.3.5.1.13: lcItem
      - 3.3.3.5.1.14: lcMatchingHeader
      - 3.3.3.5.1.15: lcMatchingItem
      - 3.3.3.5.1.16: lcMatchingItemFeedback
      - 3.3.3.5.1.17: lcMatchingPair
      - 3.3.3.5.1.18: lcMatchTable
      - 3.3.3.5.1.19: lcOpenAnswer
      - 3.3.3.5.1.20: lcQuestion
      - 3.3.3.5.1.21: lcSequence
      - 3.3.3.5.1.22: lcSequenceOption
      - 3.3.3.5.1.23: lcSequenceOptionGroup
    - 3.3.3.5.2: Common learning content elements
      - 3.3.3.5.2.1: lcAge
      - 3.3.3.5.2.2: lcAssessment
      - 3.3.3.5.2.3: lcAttitude
      - 3.3.3.5.2.4: lcAudience
      - 3.3.3.5.2.5: lcBackground
      - 3.3.3.5.2.6: lcChallenge
      - 3.3.3.5.2.7: lcCIN
      - 3.3.3.5.2.8: lcClassroom
      - 3.3.3.5.2.9: lcClient
      - 3.3.3.5.2.10: lcConstraints
      - 3.3.3.5.2.11: lcDelivDate
      - 3.3.3.5.2.12: lcDelivery
      - 3.3.3.5.2.13: lcDownloadTime
      - 3.3.3.5.2.14: lcDuration
      - 3.3.3.5.2.15: lcEdLevel
      - 3.3.3.5.2.16: lcFileSizeLimitations
      - 3.3.3.5.2.17: lcGapAnalysis
      - 3.3.3.5.2.18: lcGapItem
      - 3.3.3.5.2.19: lcGapItemDelta
      - 3.3.3.5.2.20: lcGeneralDescription
      - 3.3.3.5.2.21: lcGoals
      - 3.3.3.5.2.22: lcGraphics
      - 3.3.3.5.2.23: lcHandouts
      - 3.3.3.5.2.24: lcInstruction
      - 3.3.3.5.2.25: lcInteraction
      - 3.3.3.5.2.26: lcIntervention
      - 3.3.3.5.2.27: lcInterventionItem
      - 3.3.3.5.2.28: lcIntro
      - 3.3.3.5.2.29: lcJtaItem
      - 3.3.3.5.2.30: lcKnowledge
      - 3.3.3.5.2.31: lcLearnStrat
      - 3.3.3.5.2.32: lcLMS
      - 3.3.3.5.2.33: lcModDate
      - 3.3.3.5.2.34: lcMotivation
      - 3.3.3.5.2.35: lcNeeds
      - 3.3.3.5.2.36: lcNeedsAnalysis
      - 3.3.3.5.2.37: lcNextSteps
      - 3.3.3.5.2.38: lcNoLMS
      - 3.3.3.5.2.39: lcObjective
      - 3.3.3.5.2.40: lcObjectives
      - 3.3.3.5.2.41: lcObjectivesGroup
      - 3.3.3.5.2.42: lcObjectivesStem
      - 3.3.3.5.2.43: lcOJT
      - 3.3.3.5.2.44: lcOrganizational
      - 3.3.3.5.2.45: lcOrgConstraints
      - 3.3.3.5.2.46: lcPlanAudience
      - 3.3.3.5.2.47: lcPlanDescrip
      - 3.3.3.5.2.48: lcPlanObjective
      - 3.3.3.5.2.49: lcPlanPrereqs
      - 3.3.3.5.2.50: lcPlanResources
      - 3.3.3.5.2.51: lcPlanSubject
      - 3.3.3.5.2.52: lcPlanTitle
      - 3.3.3.5.2.53: lcPlayers
      - 3.3.3.5.2.54: lcPrereqs
      - 3.3.3.5.2.55: lcProcesses
      - 3.3.3.5.2.56: lcProject
      - 3.3.3.5.2.57: lcResolution
      - 3.3.3.5.2.58: lcResources
      - 3.3.3.5.2.59: lcReview
      - 3.3.3.5.2.60: lcSecurity
      - 3.3.3.5.2.61: lcSkills
      - 3.3.3.5.2.62: lcSpecChars
      - 3.3.3.5.2.63: lcSummary
      - 3.3.3.5.2.64: lcTask
      - 3.3.3.5.2.65: lcTaskItem
      - 3.3.3.5.2.66: lcTechnical
      - 3.3.3.5.2.67: lcTime
      - 3.3.3.5.2.68: lcValues
      - 3.3.3.5.2.69: lcViewers
      - 3.3.3.5.2.70: lcW3C
      - 3.3.3.5.2.71: lcWorkEnv
      - 3.3.3.5.2.72: lcWorkEnvDescription
- 3.3.4: Attributes
  - 3.3.4.1: Commonly referenced attribute groups
    - 3.3.4.1.1: display-atts attribute group
    - 3.3.4.1.2: global-atts attribute group
    - 3.3.4.1.3: univ-atts attribute group
    - 3.3.4.1.4: id-atts attribute group
    - 3.3.4.1.5: select-atts attribute group
    - 3.3.4.1.6: localization-atts attribute group
    - 3.3.4.1.7: relational-atts attribute group
      - 3.3.4.1.7.1: rel-atts attribute group
    - 3.3.4.1.8: topicref-atts, topicref-atts-no-toc, and topicref-atts-without-format attribute groups
    - 3.3.4.1.9: Other common DITA attributes
  - 3.3.4.2: Complex attribute definitions
    - 3.3.4.2.1: The href attribute
    - 3.3.4.2.2: The keys attribute
    - 3.3.4.2.3: The keyref attribute
    - 3.3.4.2.4: The conref attribute
      - 3.3.4.2.4.1: Using the -dita-use-conref-target value
    - 3.3.4.2.5: The conaction attribute
    - 3.3.4.2.6: The conrefend attribute
    - 3.3.4.2.7: The conkeyref attribute
    - 3.3.4.2.8: The type attribute
    - 3.3.4.2.9: The format attribute
    - 3.3.4.2.10: The scope attribute
    - 3.3.4.2.11: The role attribute
- 3.3.5: Element quick reference
  - 3.3.5.1: Base DITA elements, A to Z
  - 3.3.5.2: Technical content elements, A to Z
  - 3.3.5.3: Learning and training elements, A to Z
  - 3.3.5.4: All DITA 1.2 elements, A to Z
Chapter 4: Conformance
Appendix A: Acknowledgments
Appendix B: Non-normative information
- B.6.1 Changes from previous versions
  - Changes from DITA 1.1 to DITA 1.2
  - Changes from DITA 1.0 to DITA 1.1
- B.6.2 Migrating from DITA 1.1 to 1.2
- B.6.3 DITA MIME type
- B.6.4 Considerations for generalizing <foreign> elements
- B.6.5 Element-by-element recommendations for translators
- B.6.6 DITA module and shell implementation reference
- B.6.7 DTD organization
- B.6.8 XML schema organization
- B.6.9 Processing component modularization and naming conventions
- B.6.10 Processing interoperability considerations
- B.6.11 Specialization design, customization, and the limits of specialization

Table of Contents

DITA Resource Center

Introduction to DITA

The Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is an XML-based architecture for authoring, producing, and delivering topic-oriented, information-typed content that can be reused and single-sourced in a variety of ways. While DITA historically has been driven by the requirements of large-scale technical documentation authoring, management, and delivery, it is a standard that is applicable to any kind of publication or information that might be presented to readers, including interactive training and educational materials, standards, reports, business documents, trade books, travel and nature guides, and more.

DITA is designed for creating new document types and describing new information domains based on existing types and domains. The process for creating new types and domains is called specialization. Specialization enables the creation of very specific, targeted document-type definitions that still can share the common output transformations and design rules developed for more general types and domains; this is similar to how classes in an object-oriented system can inherit the methods of ancestor classes.

Because DITA topics are XML conforming, they can be readily viewed, edited, and validated using standard XML tools, although realizing the full potential of DITA requires using DITA-aware tools.

Was this page helpful?