DITA

The Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is an XML-based, end-to-end architecture for authoring, producing, and delivering technical information. This architecture consists of a set of design principles for creating "information-typed" modules at a topic level and for using that content in delivery modes such as online help and product support portals on the Web

WHAT IS DITA?

Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is an XML-based, extensible, end-to-end architecture for authoring, producing, and delivering readable information. Information is authored in discrete, typed topics that are organized and reused to deliver information in multiple delivery media.

WHAT CAN DITA DO FOR YOU?

Support reuse through content referencing at the topic or element level
Single-source content and produce multiple deliverables by combining DITA maps and map lists.
Save time and money when updating information formatting through the separation of form from content.
Improve linking quality and ease of maintenance by automatically generating navigation and relationship links.
Improve information quality with topic oriented authoring and explicit information typing.
Save money by leveraging XML structure to streamline file processing, such as translation, build, and testing processes.
Generate custom deliverables by creating new transforms.
Extend the DITA XML architecture with new topic types through specialization.

DITA has been submitted to the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) and accepted as a Technical Activity (see OASIS Darwin Information Typing Architecture Technical Committee).

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?

To efficiently use DITA, learn some basic DITA principles.

Topic-oriented or topic-based authoring

DITA information is organized into topics, which are appropriately sized units of information that cover a single subject. You then organize and assemble the topics into deliverables, such as help systems, Web portals, or hardcopy and softcopy books.

By using a consistent definition for each information unit, you can more easily reuse information and streamline costly processes, such as translation.

                DITA CONCEPT TOPIC CODE
                <concept id="simpleconcept">.
                  <title>DITA concept topic</title> 
                  <shortdesc>This type of topic provides background or orientation. </shortdesc>
                  <conbody> 
                    <p>A concept topic has a title, a short description, and a descriptive body.</p>
                  </conbody>
                </concept>

Information typing

Information types identify what information appears in a topic. DITA currently supports task, concept, reference, mixed, and generic topic types. The topic type determines the topic's structure and controls the content by the supported elements for each topic type. For example, you can only add steps to a task topic.

Organizing common types of information with topics allows information developers to spend more time focused on authoring content.

Specialization

You can extend DITA by developing specializations that create new information types. These new types inherit processing rules from existing types. For example, API documentation is a particular kind of reference information and requires more specific rules and descriptive markup than a generic reference type. You can use DITA to create an API specialization to support those more specific rules.

Specialization allows you to get the markup you need for your content without losing compatibility with existing processes or the ability to share content with others.

Map-based linking

DITA map files specify links between topics and other information resources for navigation links, such as the table of contents, as well as nonhierarchical links between topics. Instead of manually entering links in each file, links are automatically generated for the topics from the DITA maps. Abstracting the links to DITA maps eliminates the need for manually creating links and improves quality by automatically updating the links if you change a topic tide or topic location.

                DITA MAP CODE
                <map title="Getting started with DITA">
                  <topicref href="authoring.xml">
                    <topicref href="simpleconcept.xml"/> 
                    <topicref href="simpletask.xml"/>
                    <topicref href="simpleref.xrn1"/>
                    <topicref href="simplemap.xrn1"/>
                  </topicref>
                  <topicref href="specialization.xml">
                    <topicref href="topictype.xm1"/>
                    <topicref href="domaintype.xml"/>
                    <topicref href="processing.xml"/>
                  </topicref>
                </map>

WHERE CAN YOU LEARN MORE?

Check out these resources for more information about DITA:

OASIS DITA Technical Committee(www.oasis-open.org/committees/dita):
See the latest committee draft specifications, DTDs, and schemas, and learn more about plans for future DITA development.
CoverPages(http://xml.coveqy,tges.org/ dita.httnl):
See a full list of DITA resources, news items, and articles.
IBM developerWorks(www.ibm.com/developerworks):
See information about implementing DITA. To immediately see only DITA information, specify to search for DITA in the XML section of developerWorks.
DITA Open Source Toolkit(dita-ot.sourceforge.net):
Download the DITA toolkit, with support for building HTML, PDF, HTMLHelp, Eclipse Help, javaHelp, and examples of specialization and map-based projects.
DITA user's group(groups.yahoo.com/group/dita-users):
Post questions and see DITA discussions.

DITA and the DITA logo are trademarks of the OASIS in the United States, other countries, or both.

DITA - Fact Sheet