<task>
The <task> element is the top-level
element for a task topic. Tasks are the main building blocks for task-oriented
user assistance. They generally provide step-by-step instructions
that will enable a user to perform a task. A task answers the question
of "how to?" by telling the user precisely what to do and the order
in which to do it. Tasks have the same high-level structure as other
topics, with a title, short description and body.
Note
Beginning with DITA 1.2, the DTD and Schema
packages distributed by OASIS contain two task models. The general task model allows
two
additional elements inside the task body (<section> and
<steps-informal>); it also allows multiple instances and
varying order for the <prereq>, <context>,
and <section> elements. The strict task model maintains the order
and cardinality of the DITA 1.0 and 1.1 <taskbody> content model.
This strict task is implemented with a constraint module.
See the taskbody description for additional details about the two models and for a description of impacts to DITA 1.1 documents.
Content models
See appendix for information about this element in OASIS document type shells.
Inheritance
- topic/topic task/task
Example
<task id="sqlj"> <title>Creating an SQLJ file</title> <taskbody> <context>Once you have set up SQLJ, you need to create a new SQLJ file. </context> <steps> <step><cmd>Open...</cmd></step> </steps> </taskbody> </task>
Attributes
The following attributes are available on this element: Universal attribute group (with a narrowed definition of @id, given below), Architectural attribute group, and @outputclass.
- @id (REQUIRED)
- An anchor point. This ID is usually required as part of the @href or @conref syntax when cross referencing or reusing content within the topic; it also enables <topicref> elements in DITA maps to optionally reference a specific topic within a DITA document. This attribute is defined with the XML Data Type ID.