DITA maps enable the scalable reuse of content across multiple contexts. They can be used by information architects, writers, and publishers to plan, develop, and deliver content.
DITA maps support the following uses:
- Defining an information architecture
- Maps can be used to define the topics that are required for a particular audience, even before the topics themselves exist. DITA maps can aggregate multiple topics for a single deliverable.
- Defining what topics to build for a particular output
- Maps reference topics that are included in output processing. Information architects, authors, and publishers can use maps to specify a set of topics that are processed at the same time, instead of processing each topic individually. In this way, a DITA map can serve as a manifest or bill of materials.
- Defining navigation
- Maps can define the online navigation or table of contents for a deliverable.
- Defining related links
- Maps define relationships among the topics they reference. These relationships are defined by the nesting of elements in the DITA map, relationship tables, and the use of elements on which the collection-type attribute is set. On output, these relationships might be expressed as related links or the hierarchy of a table of contents (TOC).
- Defining an authoring context
- The DITA map can define the authoring framework, providing a starting point for authoring new topics and integrating existing ones.
- Defining keys and key scopes
- Maps can define keys, which provide an indirect addressing mechanism that enhances
portability of content. The keys are defined by topicref elements or
specializations of topicref elements, such as
keydef. The keydef element is a convenience
element; it is a specialized type of a topicref element with the
following attributes:
- A required keys attribute
- A processing-role attribute with a default value of "resource-only".
Specialized maps can provide additional semantics beyond those of organization, linking, and indirection. For example, the subjectScheme map specialization adds the semantics of taxonomy and ontology definition.