How are metadata and reference resources linked in DITA XML?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Linking metadata and reference resources in DITA XML documents is essential for creating structured and well-organized content. This practice ensures that additional information or references are seamlessly integrated into your DITA documentation, enhancing its depth and context. Metadata typically includes information about the document, such as the author, creation date, or revision history, while reference resources can be external documents or media that supplement your content.

Here’s how you can link metadata and reference resources in DITA XML:

1. Metadata Linking: To link metadata within your DITA document, you can use elements like <prolog> and <metadata>. The <prolog> element provides high-level information about the document, including metadata elements. For example, you can specify the author, copyright information, and other relevant data using <metadata> elements like <author> and <copyright>. These metadata elements help identify and categorize your content.

Example:

Suppose you have a DITA topic file for a user manual, and you want to include metadata about the author and copyright information:


<topic>
  <title>User Manual for Product XYZ</title>
  <prolog>
    <metadata>
      <author>John Doe</author>
      <copyright>© 2023 Your Company Name</copyright>
      <other-metadata-element>...</other-metadata-element>
    </metadata>
  </prolog>
  <body>
    <p>This is the user manual for Product XYZ...</p>
  </body>
</topic>

2. Reference Resources: Reference resources, such as external documents, images, or media, can be linked using elements like <xref>, <image>, or <video>. These elements reference external resources and embed them within your DITA content. You can specify attributes like @href to provide the path or URL to the resource, ensuring that readers can access supplementary materials.

Example:

Imagine you want to link to an external PDF document within your DITA topic:


<topic>
  <title>User Manual for Product XYZ</title>
  <body>
    <p>For more information, refer to the <xref href="user_manual.pdf">User Manual</xref> document.</p>
    <p><image href="diagram.png" alt="Product Diagram"/></p>
  </body>
</topic>

By linking metadata and reference resources in your DITA XML content, you provide context and additional information to your readers, enhancing the overall quality and usability of your documentation.