Titania-Powered Search

DITA Resource Center

Branch filtering

The branch filtering mechanism enables map authors to set filtering conditions for specific branches of a map. This makes it possible for multiple conditional-processing profiles to be applied within a single publication.

Without the branch filtering mechanism, the conditions specified in a DITAVAL document are applied globally. With branch filtering, the <ditavalref> element specifies a DITAVAL document that can be applied to a subset of content; the location of the <ditavalref> element determines the content to which filtering conditions are applied. The filtering conditions then are used to filter the map branch itself (map elements used to create the branch), as well as the local maps or topics that are referenced by that branch.

The <ditavalref> element also provides the ability to process a single branch of content multiple times, applying unique conditions to each instance of the branch.

  1. Overview of branch filtering
    Maps or map branches can be filtered by adding a <ditavalref> element that specifies the DITAVAL document to use for that map or map branch.
  2. Branch filtering: Single condition set for a branch
    Using a single <ditavalref> element as a child of a map or map branch indicates that the map or map branch must be conditionally processed using the rules specified in the referenced DITAVAL document.
  3. Branch filtering: Multiple condition sets for a branch
    Using multiple <ditavalref> elements as the children of a map or map branch indicates that the map or map branch must be conditionally processed using the rules that are specified in the referenced DITAVAL documents.
  4. Branch filtering: Impact on resource and key names
    When map branches are cloned by a processor in order to support multiple condition sets, processors must manage conflicting resource and key names. The ditavalref domain includes metadata elements that authors can use to specify how resource and key names are renamed.
  5. Branch filtering: Implications of processing order
    Because the branch filtering process can result in new or renamed keys, key scopes, or URIs, the full effects of the branch filtering process MUST be calculated by processors before they construct the effective map and key scope structure.
  6. Examples of branch filtering
    The branch filtering examples illustrate the processing expectations for various scenarios that involve <ditavalref> elements. Processing examples use either before and after sample markup or expanded syntax that shows the equivalent markup without the <ditavalref> elements.
Parent topic: DITA processing

Was this page helpful?