How does DITA specialization adapt to emerging technologies and platforms?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

DITA specialization is a versatile framework that can effectively adapt to emerging technologies and platforms. This adaptability is crucial for staying current in rapidly evolving tech landscapes. Here are ways in which DITA specialization can seamlessly embrace new technologies:

1. Modular Structure: DITA’s modular structure allows specialization for individual technology components. When a new technology or platform emerges, you can create specialized DITA topics that focus on its unique features and functions. These topics can be easily integrated into existing documentation, ensuring that information remains up-to-date. For example, consider a DITA specialization for a new programming language. Specialized topics can be created to explain language syntax, features, and best practices.

2. Reusable Content: DITA’s content reuse capabilities are invaluable when adapting to emerging technologies. Specialized content components can be reused across various documents, making it easy to incorporate information about new technologies. This ensures consistency and minimizes redundancy. In the context of adapting to a new platform, specialized topics can provide instructions for platform-specific configurations and integrations.

3. Conditional Text: DITA specialization supports conditional text, allowing you to tailor content for specific technologies or platforms. You can create conditions that hide or display content based on the intended audience or technology. This is particularly useful when explaining how a feature works differently on various platforms. Here is an example of conditional text in DITA XML that explains a feature’s behavior on two different operating systems:

<topic id="t1234">
  <title>Cross-Platform Compatibility</title>
  <body>
    <p>This feature is compatible with both <os-condition platform="Windows">Windows</os-condition> and <os-condition platform="Mac">Mac</os-condition> operating systems.</p>
    <p>On <os-condition platform="Windows">Windows</os-condition>, follow these steps...</p>
    <p>On <os-condition platform="Mac">Mac</os-condition>, follow these steps...</p>
  </body>
</topic>

By using conditional text, you can provide platform-specific instructions within a single DITA topic, making content adaptation to new technologies and platforms a seamless process.