Can DITA facilitate the reuse of visual assets across different vehicle models, repair manuals, and training materials?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

DITA XML provides a robust framework for the efficient reuse of visual assets across different vehicle models, repair manuals, and training materials. Reusing visual assets not only saves time and effort but also ensures consistency and accuracy in automotive documentation. Here’s how DITA facilitates this process:

Topic-Based Authoring

DITA promotes topic-based authoring, where content is created in small, reusable units called topics. Visual assets, such as images, diagrams, and multimedia, can be associated with these topics. When a visual asset is needed in multiple documents or for different vehicle models, it can be referenced and reused across those topics. This ensures that the same visual asset is consistently used wherever relevant, reducing redundancy and the risk of inconsistencies.

Content References

In DITA, content references (conrefs) enable the reuse of entire topics or specific elements within topics. This means that a visual asset used in one repair manual or training material can be easily referenced and included in other related documents. If an update is required for the visual asset, it can be made in a single location, and all references to that asset across different documents will automatically reflect the change. This streamlined approach enhances efficiency and helps maintain content accuracy.

Example:

Here’s an example illustrating how DITA enables the reuse of visual assets through content references:


<topic id="engine_repair">
  <title>Engine Repair</title>
  <body>
    <p>This topic provides instructions for engine repair.</p>
    <image href="engine_diagram.jpg">
      <alt>Engine Diagram</alt>
      <desc>A detailed diagram of the engine components.</desc>
    </image>
  </body>
</topic>

In this example, the “Engine Repair” topic includes an image of the engine diagram. When this topic is referenced in different repair manuals or training materials, the same “engine_diagram.jpg” image can be reused, ensuring consistent visuals and eliminating the need to duplicate the asset in each document.