Understand DITA referencing in FrameMaker, learn to set up reference content and update DITA references.
DITA referencing (also known as DITA addressing) provides the capability to reference or link among DITA elements and between DITA elements and non-DITA resources.
You reference DITA content by Working with DITA conrefs. You create links to DITA or non-DITA resources, by using DITA cross-references to single source content. You can also use DITA links to Add links to related content.
The DITA specifications define two types of referencing:
References are established by pointing direct to the target. For example, in FrameMaker, when you create a conref using direct referencing, you navigate to and choose the DITA topic (.xml file). Similarly, you point directly to the DITA topic (.xml file) to create a DITA link or a DITA cross-reference. Direct referencing requires authors to explicitly choose the file containing the content to reference or link. This can be cumbersome and confusing if you have a large set of related content. Direct referencing is preferred if you do not have a large set of documents that reference or link to.
See the specifications on URI-based (direct) addressing.
References are established globally at the DITA map level using keys. For example, in FrameMaker, when you create a conref using indirect referencing, you do not point directly to the DITA topic. Instead, you point to a key that is defined Using keyspaces to manage DITA key references. Indirect referencing requires authors to choose user-defined keys when creating references or links. When setting up the keyspaces, a well defined nomenclature should be used to name keys. Indirect referencing is recommended if you are authoring in a large set of related content.
See the specifications on Key-based addressing.