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Important Questions about DITA
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by Prof. Sissi Closs

Ms. Closs is professor of Information and Media Technology at the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences. She is co-owner and managing director of the Munich-based companies Comet Computer GmbH and Comet Communication GmbH. Sissi Closs is considered one of Germany's leading experts in XML, online documentation, and DITA.

Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) doesn't reinvent the wheel. Rather, it sets standards for known structuring requirements. As with everything new, there are many questions about DITA.

What is DITA?

  

DITA is an XML-based information architecture. One very attractive aspect of this architecture is its clear alignment with a structuring method that has proven itself for years in online documentation. The basis of this method is the division of the content into modules called topics.

Today, this structuring method is considered the ideal approach for the organization of comprehensive content. The topic-oriented approach and the flexible specialization options distinguish DITA from comparable architectures such as DocBook.

How Did DITA Come About?

  

DITA was developed by IBM and is available today as open source architecture. In May 2005, DITA V1.0 was approved as the standard of the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS).

DITA has attracted a large following. More and more manufacturers of documentation tools support DITA. Some companies, including Adobe, Boeing, IBM and Nokia, are already using DITA.

What is a Topic?

  

Topics are self-contained content blocks that are context-independent. A simple example of a topic is a term definition. If it is organized as a separate topic, it can be reused in all places where the term occurs.

Dividing contents into topics has been used in the online-help world for many years. Topics should be small enough to be used flexibly, but not so small that the quality and author's efficiency suffer. DITA topics have a title (title) and contents (body) and usually consist of one special type of information.

What are the Advantages
of Topic-oriented Structuring?

  

Compared with a rigid chapter structure, the topic structure is better suited for reuse, provided that the topic classification is done correctly.

What is Classification?

  

Classification means defining different categories according to particular criteria. For example, you can differentiate between explanations and tasks.

Finding suitable information types is not a simple task. One method, in use for over 15 years, is the class concept method that I developed, in which a class concept, including topic types, link types, and collection types, can be systematically and efficiently developed by analyzing documents for commonly used categories.

For the most common content categories in online help — descriptions, glossary entries, field help, and, step-by-step instructions — DITA provides the basic types concept, reference, and task, in addition to the generic topic.

What are the Advantages
of Classification?

  

Instead of planning each topic individually, you can work out a concept for each information type, and then implement it consistently for each topic of that type. In this way, your work is systematically organized, and users can find their way around more easily, thanks to the consistency.

How do you Create Coherent Content
from Topics?

  

DITA offers several ways to assemble content from topics:

  • In a DITA map, topics are organized like a table of content (TOC). But, whereas the traditional TOC is usually generated from the document titles after the document is created, the DITA map is used for generating the document.

  • Topics can be nested to form larger interconnected content blocks. In order not to impair reuse of the topic content, you do the nesting outside the body area. The nesting defines the order and hierarchy of participating topics.

  • An element can be replaced by the content of another element either in the same topic or in a separate topic. You can reuse every element with an ID by means of the conref mechanism. However, only an equivalent content can be inserted. If the element types do not match, the substitution is not made.

What is Specialization?

  

DITA provides the option of defining new domains and types on the basis of predefined basic types. These adaptations and extensions are known as specialization.

Using the inheritance principle, you can pass on definitions made for the initial types to the derived new types and adapt or extend them as necessary. DITA prescribes the rules for specialization. A new topic type must be based on an existing type and further restrict its content. You should implement specialization carefully and in several steps.

What Tools Exist for DITA?

  

To use the DITA architecture effectively, you need suitable tools. Fortunately there is a fast-growing tool landscape, thanks to standardization and the wide acceptance of DITA.

DITA Open Toolkit

  

DITA Open Toolkit is a freely available open source package for DITA. It contains a series of XSL transformations and scripts that generate different output from DITA-tagged content. HTML, XHTML, PDF, HTMLHelp, JavaHelp, and EclipseHelp all have predefined transformations.

The toolkit also includes tags specimen data for trying out the accompanying transformations. For a first impression of the DITA world, it is best — and cheapest — to start with the DITA Open Toolkit.

Authoring Tools

  

Many manufacturers support the new standard. From authoring tools such as AuthorIT (ASC), Epic (PTC), FrameMaker (Adobe), Serna (Syntext), XMetal (JustSystems), and XMLSpy (Altova), to comprehensive documentation systems such as Docato (EMC) and Worldserver (SDL), there is a suitable tool for every requirement.

Manufacturers of content management systems also offer complete DITA components. These include DITA Exchange from Content Technologies, the DITA starter kit from Docato, Open Topic from SDL, ST4 from Schema, and Sibersafe from Siberlogic.

What are the Benefits
of DITA?

  

The obvious benefits resulting from standardization are cost savings and investment security. DITA provides a framework within which you can start your work directly-without tedious and costly structure-finding processes. You can then invest your time more profitably in the content.

Where Do I Find Out More About DITA?

  

Check out the following sources:
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