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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

Disciplined, topic-oriented writing

Topic-oriented writing is a disciplined approach to writing that emphasizes modularity and reuse of concise units of information: topics. Well-designed DITA topics can be reused in many contexts, as long as writers are careful to avoid unnecessary transitional text.

Conciseness and appropriateness

Readers who are trying to learn or do something quickly appreciate information that is written in a structure that is easy to follow and contains only the information needed to complete that task or grasp a fact. Recipes, encyclopedia entries, car repair procedures--all serve up a uniquely focused unit of information. The topic contains everything required by the reader.

Locational independence

A well-designed topic is reusable in other contexts to the extent that it is context free, meaning that it can be inserted into a new document without revision of its content. A context-free topic avoids transitional text. Phrases like "As we considered earlier ..." or "Now that you have completed the initial step ..." make little sense if a topic is reused in a new context in which the relationships are different or no longer exist. A well-designed topic reads appropriately in any new context because the text does not refer the reader outside the topic.

Navigational independence

Most print publications or web pages are a mixture of content and navigation. Internal links lead a reader through a sequence of choices as he or she navigates through a website. DITA supports the separation of navigation from content by assembling independent topics into DITA maps. Nonetheless, writers may want to provide links within a topic to additional topics or external resources. DITA does not prohibit such linking within individual topics. The DITA relationship table enables links between topics and to external content. Since it is defined in the DITA map, it is managed independently of the topic content.

Links in the content are best used for cross-references within a topic. Links from within a topic to additional topics or external resources should be avoided because they limit the reusability of the topic. To link from a term or keyword to its definition, use the DITA keyref facility to avoid creating topic-to-topic dependencies that are difficult to maintain. See Key-based addressing.

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