DITA support in FrameMaker

FrameMaker 10 provides support for DITA v1.2. For more information on DITA integration with FrameMaker see the online manual Integrating DITA Specialization with Adobe FrameMaker on the Adobe website .

    Basic DITA terms

    DITA topic
    A base <topic> element in DITA requires only three elements: a unique ID, a topic title, and a topic body. It can have multiple optional elements, such as paragraphs <p>, unordered lists <ul>, and tables <table>.

    DITA task topic
    A task <topic> type specializes topic element names and topic structure. The root element of a task topic is named <task>, and its body element is <taskbody>. A task topic can have one task prerequisite and one context element followed by steps. Each step must have a command, optional information, a step example, choices, and a step result. You can provide the task result, examples, and any task postrequisites after a set of steps.

    DITA concept topic
    A <concept> topic type specializes topic element names and topic structure. A concept topic can have any number of paragraphs, lists, or tables in the first section or example. Subsequent topic consists of sections and examples which can appear in any order.

    The root element of a concept topic is named <concept>, and its body element is <conbody>.

    DITA reference topic
    A <reference> topic type specializes topic element names and topic structure. The root element of a reference topic is <reference>, and its body element is <refbody>. The <refbody> element includes a <properties> element which is a table of property types, values, and descriptions. The element <refsyn>, reference syntax, is a specialization of the <section> element.

    DITA glossentry topic
    A glossentry topic type is a specialization for glossary entries. It consists of glossary term, <glossterm>, and glossary term definition, <glossdef> pairs.

    DITA map
    The DITA map is like a table of contents listing and linking the topics for a specific output. DITA maps assemble topics into sequence and hierarchy tailored to specific delivery requirements. You can have multiple maps, each one arranging the topics for different requirements, such as a reference manual, a tutorial, or online Help. A DITA map file has the extension .ditamap.

    Bookmap
    A bookmap is a specialization of a DITA map. You can save a DITA map as a bookmap. In a bookmap, highest-level <topicref> elements in your DITA map become chapters in the FrameMaker book, containing any nested <topicref> elements. Formatting is determined according to which structured application you have selected for books in the DITA Options dialog box.

    Relationship table
    Links between topics are defined and maintained using relationship tables.

    Conref
    DITA implements reuse of content units with the <conref> attribute. For example, if the same table appears in multiple topics, you can author it once and include it by reference.

    Xref
    References to external sources of information, such as a web page. When you open a file, the DITA feature automatically resolves <xref> elements and displays any associated text within FrameMaker.

    Specialization
    DITA allows the addition of new elements through specialization of base DITA elements. Through specialization, DITA can accommodate new topic types and element types as needed for specific industries or companies.

    Open Toolkit
    Open Toolkit is a free, open-source, end-to-end, single-source publishing system. It takes your DITA topics and DITA maps and generates multiple output format deliverables, such as print (PDF), web (HTML), and Help.

    Set attribute display options

    Attributes are used to help describe XML elements or provide additional information that can be used, for example, to identify an element or apply formatting controls. Before working with attributes, you must be able to identify attributes in a document and expand or collapse them as required.

    1. Select View > Attribute Display Options.

    2. Do one of the following:

      • If you want elements to display only attributes that are either required or have values in the Structure View, select Required And Specified Attributes.

      • If you want elements to display all the attributes assigned to them in the Structure View regardless of values or requirements, select All Attributes.

      • If you want all elements to display their attributes collapsed in the Structure View, select No Attributes.

    3. Click Set.