A step-by-step guide to structured authoring using DITA XML

Explore best practices for doctrine and the basics of detail, then learn topic restructuring to understand changes in your writing style.

Discover a modular, topic-based approach to content creation in DITA XML, where topics are reusable across books, and updates propagate automatically to reduce errors and save time and money.

Apply the principles of structured authoring to drive structural change by prioritizing time, established processes, and minimalism, while embracing collaboration and aligning with your previous authoring model.

Learn the minimalistic approach to technical writing by documenting only what users need, focusing on the user, action-oriented guidance, findable information, and essential steps.

Explore the key challenges of adopting structured authoring with dita xml, including discipline, collaboration, topic-based writing, and changing style and mindset to focus on chunks over long narratives.

Adjust structural change by aligning workflows and information flow for new operating models. Foster collaboration, self-awareness, and transparent communication to balance workload, resolve conflicts, and celebrate team contributions.

Explore how to shift mindset toward a structure-based approach in structured authoring using DITA XML, and address the challenges and adjustments introduced in this section's introduction.

Explore how standards and guidelines drive structured authoring with DITA XML, using a consistent information model, metadata and prologues, and interconnected topics to deliver reusable, context-aware content.

Define metadata as data about data, outline standard attributes at topic and map levels, and summarize publication, copyright, audience, platform, language metadata, plus topic keywords.

Explore how constraints restrict content, models, and attributes in structured authoring, providing enforceable rules that information architects and writers must follow. Learn how acronyms and industry standards influence constraint application.

Apply Schematron to define constraints in XML documents, enforcing business rules and consistency with examples like title length limits, plural forms, and capitalization for readability.

Explore how pick lists enable consistency by letting writers choose predefined attributes from a big list, while embracing structured authoring basics like metadata and schema enforcement.

Explore dita, a darwin information type architecture for structured authoring, using specialization and inheritance to define topic objectives and structures like procedure, glossary, entries, and troubleshooting.

Discover why Dita is an industry accepted architecture with open standards and an active community, and why it uses a topic-based approach, semantic tagging, conditional processing, and content referencing.

Explore the dita model by examining topics and ditamap that control content and final output order, plus the xml schema and out-of-the-box transforms for print and web outputs.

Examine the DITA topic structure, from the XML declaration to the root and body elements that hold data definitions and topic content.

Explore topic types in DITA and learn when to use each, while identifying the essential elements used in every topic.

Explore the five DITA topic types: concept, task, reference, troubleshooting, and glossaries, and how each supports structuring information with background context, step-by-step procedures, reusable facts, troubleshooting tips, and definitions.

Learn to create a topic in DITA XML by navigating Oxygen XML Editor, selecting a topic type (concept, glossary, reference), and saving to the desired location.

Create a map by opening oxygen x ed and selecting new from the five menu. Open maps folder, select the required map, and save it to the desired location.

Create a topic from a book map by appending it as a child, so the map holds all topics, using the menu to select new and append the added topic.

Create a topic in structured authoring workflow by opening the editor, selecting new, choosing framework templates, navigating to stembridge maps and topics, and selecting the concept template before clicking create.

Learn to add prologue information to topics and maps, including auto update information, resource ID, publisher info, Medidata info, vocabulary, synonyms, and index terms.

Explore entering topic information in a dita xml workflow, including prologue metadata, audience, permissions, and keywords and index keywords, plus change history, product data, and book map in the prologue.

Explore common DITA elements, including block and inline elements, paragraphs, notes, ordered and unordered lists, images, tables, code blocks, and user input, to structure topics effectively.

Explore how to use block level and inline elements in DITA, including lists, notes, tables, images, and text formatting (bold, italics, code blocks) to structure content effectively.

Advance from topics to specialization in structured authoring with DITA XML. Explore adding information, metadata information, and both block and inline elements.

Explore task topics in structured authoring with DITA XML, delivering precise step-by-step procedures, prerequisites, results, and troubleshooting while separating concept from procedure.

Create a task topic in dita xml using framework templates, select the location, name the topic, and save it; or generate it from a book via the new menu.

Explore the structure of a task topic in DITA XML, including short descriptions, prerequisites, context, steps, troubleshooting, and post requisites for clear procedural documentation.

Design a DITA task topic by setting a title, short description, prerequisites, and context, then build steps with images, tables, lists, and troubleshooting.

Introduce section concepts in structured authoring with DITA XML, covering concept references, troubleshooting, and glossary topics in this chapter.

Explore how to use the concept topic to document background, context, and what questions, with paragraphs, unordered and ordered lists, and graphics to clarify meaning.

Learn to create a concept topic in DITA XML, including title, theme, short description, and conceptual information, using unordered lists and notes rather than ordered lists.

Create reference topics as concise data-driven units that list product specifications, parameters, and commands for quick access in easy-to-scan sections. Note constraints on performance data and other essential facts.

Create a reference topic from the template, name it, and add a description. Reference topics provide data to support task performance and may include tables or lists with product specifications.

Create troubleshooting topics by documenting the condition, listing corrective actions and alarm clearing, and outlining one or more methods and remedies tied to causes; decide when to make standalone topics.

Create a troubleshooting topic in the DITA XML workflow by naming and saving it, then document problem, symptoms, causes, and remedies with step-by-step fixes.

Learn how glossary topics create an alphabetical list in the back matter, explaining term definitions, usage, and optional tags for antonyms and synonyms in DITA XML.

Watch a practical demo that explains how to create glossary entries and a glossary map in DITA XML. Learn how to define terms, save entries, and configure keys and attributes.

Explore maps, including compiling maps and book maps, and apply the concept of the reference, troubleshooting, glossary topics, blog and elements, prolog information, and metadata information.

Explore how maps organize topics into structured collections within DITA XML, defining information architecture, topic order, and rich parent–child relationships with pointers to related content.

Explore map level elements in dita xml, including the map root, topic elements with title and metadata, nesting for hierarchy, relationships, topic groups, never pointers to maps, and keydef references.

Explore book maps as containers for structure and context metadata used to describe page layout for books, articles, manuals, and research papers, and compare them to maps.

Learn how to create chapter maps in the Oxygen Examiner editor, using map templates, naming conventions, and topic management to organize chapters, topics, and troubleshooting information.

Create a book map in dita xml by adding chapter maps, organizing with bookmarks, and managing change history and prologue information to display structured content.

Publish the content you have generated by reviewing topics, chapter maps, and final book maps, and generate output for publish-ready structured authoring with dita xml.

Learn how a data-driven, topic-driven publishing approach boosts productivity and collaboration, enabling modular reuse, automated formatting via stylesheets, and multi-output generation from a single source.

Publish books in print and web formats by reusing topics and maps from a repository, generating PDF with XSL-FO, and rendering web output with XML and CSS.

Publish dita content from a single source file using Oxygen, generating multiple outputs simultaneously through transformations, with live scenarios and background processing that updates topics, playlists, and troubleshooting guides.

Celebrate completing the course and explore structured authoring with DITA XML, plus a preview of advanced topics in structural change, linking conditional tagging, and data usage.