Map group elements

The map group domain elements define, group, or reference content. Many of the map group elements are convenience elements, which means that they simply make it easier for an author to make use of existing functions.

For example, the <topichead> element allows a map to specify a heading without allowing a reference to a topic. While a <topicref> element might accomplish the same thing by creating a title and leaving off the @href attribute, the <topichead> element simply makes the intent clearer and prevents the accidental inclusion of an @href attribute.

<anchorref>
The <anchorref> element is used to reference an <anchor> element in a map. The contents of an <anchorref> element are rendered both in the original authored location and at the location of the referenced <anchor> element. The referenced <anchor> element might be defined in the current map or another map. When possible, this integration is done when displaying the map with <anchor> to an end user.
<keydef>
The <keydef> element is a convenience element that is used to define keys without any of the other effects that occur when using a <topicref> element: no content is included in output, no title is included in the table of contents, and no linking or other relationships are defined. The <keydef> element is not the only way to define keys; its purpose is to simplify the process by defaulting several attributes to achieve the described behaviors.
<mapref>
The <mapref> element is a convenience element that is equivalent to a <topicref> element with the @format attribute set to "ditamap". The hierarchy of the referenced map is merged into the container map at the position of the reference, and the relationship tables of the child map are added to the parent map.
<topicgroup>
The <topicgroup> element groups <topicref> elements for common treatment without affecting the structural hierarchy of the map, as opposed to nesting <topicref> elements, which does imply a structural hierarchy. The <topicgroup> element can provide linking relationships and shared, inherited attributes to the set of elements that it contains without affecting the resulting table of contents or navigation.
<topichead>
The <topichead> element provides a title-only entry in a navigation map, which should appear as a heading when the map is rendered as a table of contents. In print contexts it should also appear as a heading in the rendered content.
<topicset>
The <topicset> element defines a complete unit of content that can be reused in other DITA maps or other <topicset> elements. Unlike the base <topicref> element, the <topicset> is explicitly intended to define a set of topics that are often or always used as a unit; it can be especially useful for task composition in which larger tasks are composed of smaller tasks. The @id attribute on a <topicset> is required, which ensures that the complete unit is available for reuse in other contexts.
<topicsetref>
The <topicsetref> element references a <topicset> element. The referenced <topicset> element can be defined in the current map or in another map.

Parent topic: Map elements