The navigation title (<navtitle>) element is one of a set of
alternate titles that can be included inside the <titlealts> element.
This navigation title might differ from the first level heading
that shows in the main browser window. Use <navtitle> when the actual
title of the topic isn't appropriate for use in a table of contents, navigation pane, or online
content (for example, because the actual title is too long). Beginning with DITA 1.2, the
<navtitle> element is also available in the
<topicmeta> element in a <topicref> in a map,
and its use is preferred over the <topicref> element's
@navtitle attribute.
When <navtitle> is used in a map, it functions in the same way as the
@navtitle attribute; both are used to specify a navigation title for the
target of the <topicref> element. That is, the title itself will only
be used as an actual navigation title when the title is locked; the title is locked when the
<topicref> element sets the attribute
locktitle="yes". If the title is not locked, processing systems will
typically retrieve the current title from the target topic, looking first for a
<navtitle> element and second for the general
<title>.
When both a <navtitle> element and a @navtitle attribute
are specified, the <navtitle> element SHOULD be used.
Because the <navtitle> element is available within
<topicmeta>, and <topicmeta> is used in many
different contexts, it is possible that <navtitle> can be specified
in contexts where a navigation title does not make sense (for example, on the
<topicgroup> element). In those situations, the
<navtitle> element has no defined purpose.
Content models
See appendix for information about this element in OASIS document type shells.
Inheritance
-
topic/navtitle
Example
Figure 1. <navtitle> sample in a topic
<task id="progexample">
<title>Publishing a DITA information set in PDF</title>
<titlealts><navtitle>Publishing in PDF</navtitle></titlealts>
<taskbody><context>Some text</context></taskbody>
</task>
Figure 2. <navtitle> samples in a map
In this sample, the first title is not locked, and will generally be replaced with a
title retrieved from a.dita. The second title is locked, and will be
displayed when this map is used as a basis for navigation.
<map xml:lang="en">
<title>This is a sample map</title>
<topicref href="a.dita">
<topicmeta>
<navtitle>Title of A</navtitle>
</topicmeta>
</topicref>
<topicref href="b.dita" locktitle="yes">
<topicmeta>
<navtitle>Short Title for B</navtitle>
</topicmeta>
</topicref>
</map>