Create a DITA Cross-Reference

Learn how to set up reference content in a DITA topic to create a cross-reference in Adobe FrameMaker.

Remember: A cross-reference is an inline DITA element. You can insert inline elements only in a parent element. You can insert a cross-reference in parent elements such as paragraph (<p>) or list item (<li>).

To create a cross-reference from one DITA topic to another topic or map, you first need to set up the reference content in the target topic or map.

Next, you can insert a direct cross-reference or an indirect cross-reference to the target DITA content.

Create a direct reference to the target content

Place the insertion point at the location to insert the cross-reference in a topic or map.
Choose Insert > Cross-Reference. The DITA Cross-Reference dialog is displayed.
Select Target: File.
In the File Settings drop-down list, choose the DITA file that contains the target element. Select Current for elements available in the active document or select any other currently open DITA file.

If the topic is not available in the list, click Browse... to open a DITA file.
After you select the target DITA file, the Element list displays only the elements that have a unique identifier (ID). Check Show All to display all elements in the target document.

The list also displays the ID and the contents (in the case of text elements) of the elements.
Select an element to insert as a cross-reference.
In the Display section, specify the text or format to display in the link.
Click Insert.

Create an indirect reference to the target content

Place the insertion point at the location to insert the cross-reference in a topic or map.
Choose Insert > Cross-Reference. The DITA Cross-Reference dialog is displayed.
Select Target: Key. After you select the key, the Element list displays the DITA topic types included in the keyspace.

The Element list displays only the elements that have a unique identifier (ID). Check Show All to display all elements in the target document.
In the Key Settings drop-down list, select the required key to insert as a cross-reference.
In the Display section, specify the text or format to display in the link.
Click Insert.

Note: If you make changes to a cross-reference element in the source topic, you will need to save the source topic and update the container topic to view the updates.