The <steps> element provides the main content of a task topic. The task is described as a series of steps that the user must follow to accomplish the task. At least one <step> element is required inside the <steps> element.
Steps with only a single step may be rendered as a paragraph rather than as a list. Two or more steps should typically be rendered as an ordered list. If all of the contained steps are simple (that is, have no more than a <cmd> element each) then the step list should default to compact. Otherwise it should be rendered as expanded (with blank lines between each step).
Note: Beginning with DITA 1.2, the general
task model allows multiple <steps> and <steps-unordered> elements.
However, the default task model in the OASIS distribution (known as
strict task) continues to allow only one <steps> or one <steps-unordered>
element.
Contains
Note: These models represent only the default document types distributed by OASIS.
Actual content models will differ with each new document type.
| Doctype | Content model |
|---|---|
| ditabase, task, machineryTask, learningContent | ( (stepsection) (optional) then (step) ) (one or more) |
Contained by
| Doctype | Content model |
|---|---|
| ditabase, task (strict), task (general), machineryTask, learningContent | taskbody |
Inheritance
- topic/ol task/steps
Example
<task id="sqlj">
<title>Creating an SQLJ file</title>
<taskbody>
<context>Once you have set up SQLJ, you need to create a new SQLJ file.</context>
<steps>
<step>
<cmd>In a text editor, create a new file.</cmd>
</step>
<step>
<cmd>Enter the first query statement.</cmd>
</step>
</steps>
</taskbody>
</task>
Attributes
| Name | Description | Data Type | Default Value | Required? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| univ-atts attribute group (includes select-atts, id-atts, and localization-atts groups) | A set of related attributes, described in univ-atts attribute group | |||
| global-atts attribute group (xtrf, xtrc) | A set of related attributes, described in global-atts attribute group | |||
| class, outputclass | Common attributes described in Other common DITA attributes |