Relationship tables

In a set of DITA topics, you often have topics that are related to each other. In this case, you might want to include a set of related (see also) links at the end of each topic. This provides your readers with further reading reference, if required.

For example, if you are covering the Save As options in FrameMaker as separate topics:

•Save As

•Save As PDF

•Save As Review PDF

•Save As XML

In this case, at the end of each of these topics, you might include related links to the other three topics.

Using DITA maps

Relationship tables in FrameMaker allow you to create related links in DITA topics. You use relationship tables in DITA maps. This implies that you need to create a DITA map and then include the topics in your topic set in the DITA map. You then add relationship tables to the map. In the relationship tables you define the related topics contained in the DITA map.

DITA types to add

You can add the following DITA topic types to a relationship table:

•Topic

•Task

•Concept

•Reference

Adding related topics to a relationship table row

To specify that two or more topics in a DITA map are related, you need to add these to a single row in a relationship table. For the steps to create a relationship table, see Create a relationship table.

For example, to specify that the topics Save As, Save As PDF, Save As Review PDF, and Save As XML are related topics:

Relationship table in Document view

note:  A relationship table in FrameMaker, when viewed in the Document view has the same appearance as a FrameMaker table that you include as part of your content.

You can add any number of rows to a relationship table. FrameMaker treats all topics in a row as related.

You can add any number of relationship tables to a DITA map. You might do this to group together sets of related topics.

Specifying the order of related topics in a relationship table row

The order of the related topics in a table row defines the sequence in which the topics display in the Related Links section of the DITA map output.

In the following example, the Related Links section of the Save As PDF topic will display as:

•Save As

•Save As Review PDF

•Save As XML

Relationship table in Document view

This implies that if you change the order of the topics in the table, the sequence in the Related Links section will display differently.