The navigation title (navtitle) element is one of a set of alternate titles that can be included inside the titlealts element. This navigation title might differ from the first level heading that shows in the main browser window. Use navtitle when the actual title of the topic isn't appropriate for use in a table of contents, navigation pane, or online content (for example, because the actual title is too long). Beginning with DITA 1.2, the navtitle element is also available in the topicmeta element in a topicref in a map, and its use is preferred over the topicref element's navtitle attribute.
When navtitle is used in a map, it functions in the same way as the navtitle attribute; both are used to specify a navigation title for the target of the topicref element. That is, the title itself will only be used as an actual navigation title when the title is locked; the title is locked when the topicref element sets the attribute locktitle="yes". If the title is not locked, processing systems will typically retrieve the current title from the target topic, looking first for a navtitle element and second for the general title.
When both a navtitle element and a navtitle attribute are specified, the navtitle element SHOULD be used.
Because the navtitle element is available within topicmeta, and topicmeta is used in many different contexts, it is possible that navtitle can be specified in contexts where a navigation title does not make sense (for example, on the topicgroup element). In those situations, the navtitle element has no defined purpose.
Content models
See appendix for information about this element in OASIS document type shells.
Inheritance
- topic/navtitle
Example
<task id="progexample"> <title>Publishing a DITA information set in PDF</title> <titlealts><navtitle>Publishing in PDF</navtitle></titlealts> <taskbody><context>Some text</context></taskbody> </task>
In this sample, the first title is not locked, and will generally be replaced with a title retrieved from a.dita. The second title is locked, and will be displayed when this map is used as a basis for navigation.
<map xml:lang="en"> <title>This is a sample map</title> <topicref href="a.dita"> <topicmeta> <navtitle>Title of A</navtitle> </topicmeta> </topicref> <topicref href="b.dita" locktitle="yes"> <topicmeta> <navtitle>Short Title for B</navtitle> </topicmeta> </topicref> </map>
Attributes
The following attributes are available on this element: Universal attribute group.