select-atts attribute group

Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) Version 1.2

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Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) Version 1.2

The "select-atts" attribute group includes common metadata attributes, several of which support conditional processing (filtering and flagging) or the creation of new attribute domain specializations.

Attributes

Name Description Data Type Default Value Required?
props Root attribute from which new metadata attributes can be specialized. This is a property attribute which supports conditional processing for filtering or flagging. If no value is specified, but the attribute is specified on an ancestor within a map or within the related-links section, the value will cascade from the closest ancestor. The attribute takes a space-delimited set of values. However, when acting as a container for generalized attributes, the content model will be more complex; see Attribute generalization for more details. CDATA #IMPLIED No
base A generic attribute that has no specific purpose. It is intended to act as a base for specialized attributes that have a simple value syntax like the conditional processing attributes (one or more alphanumeric values separated by whitespace), but is not itself a filtering or flagging attribute. The attribute takes a space-delimited set of values. However, when acting as a container for generalized attributes, the content model will be more complex; see Attribute generalization for more details. CDATA #IMPLIED No
platform Indicates operating system and hardware. This is a property attribute which supports conditional processing for filtering or flagging. If no value is specified, but the attribute is specified on an ancestor within a map or within the related-links section, the value will cascade from the closest ancestor. The attribute takes a space-delimited set of values. CDATA #IMPLIED No
product Contains the name of the product to which the element applies. This is a property attribute which supports conditional processing for filtering or flagging. If no value is specified, but the attribute is specified on an ancestor within a map or within the related-links section, the value will cascade from the closest ancestor. The attribute takes a space-delimited set of values. CDATA #IMPLIED No
audience Indicates the intended audience for the element. This is a property attribute which supports conditional processing for filtering or flagging. If no value is specified, but the attribute is specified on an ancestor within a map or within the related-links section, the value will cascade from the closest ancestor. The attribute takes a space-delimited set of values. CDATA #IMPLIED No
otherprops This attribute can be used for any other properties that might be needed to describe an audience, or to provide selection criteria for the element. Alternatively, the props attribute may be specialized to provide a new metadata attribute instead of using the general otherprops attribute. This is a property attribute which supports conditional processing for filtering or flagging. If no value is specified, but the attribute is specified on an ancestor within a map or within the related-links section, the value will cascade from the closest ancestor. The attribute takes a space-delimited set of values. CDATA #IMPLIED No
importance A range of values that describe an importance or priority attributed to an element. For example, in steps of a task, the attribute indicates whether a step is optional or required. This attribute is not used for DITAVAL-based filtering or flagging; applications may (but need not) use the importance value to highlight elements. obsolete | deprecated | optional | default | low | normal | high | recommended | required | urgent | -dita-use-​conref-​target #IMPLIED No
rev Indicates a revision level of an element that identifies when the element was added or modified. It may be used to flag outputs when it matches a run-time parameter; it cannot be used for filtering. It is not sufficient to be used for version control.If no value is specified, but the attribute is specified on an ancestor within a map or within the related-links section, the value will cascade from the closest ancestor. CDATA #IMPLIED No
status The modification status of the current element. new | changed | deleted | unchanged | -dita-use-​conref-​target #IMPLIED No

Example

The "select-atts" attribute group is used within the DITA DTDs and Schemas as a common definition for attributes available to most elements for you to enable the content for improved retrievability or for selection. Some typical examples include:

The <keyword platform="Linux">chmod</keyword> command...

<ph product="WhiteknuckleHandsoap">Amalgamated Cleansers get the grime!</ph>

<msgph audience="programmer administrator">Divide by -1 error.</msgph>

<ph otherprops="java">When using Java, use 
  <apiname>com.example.obscureclass</apiname> to calculate the value.</ph>

<p importance="recommended" rev="3.2">Update anti-virus software often.</p>

Note that, aside from those with pre-defined values, these attributes allow multiple values. For example, the audience attribute in the example indicates that the message is of interest to both programmers and administrators.