What challenges arise when indexing content with multiple variables or conditional text?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Indexing content with multiple variables or conditional text in DITA XML can pose unique challenges, as it requires managing and presenting content variations based on different conditions or variables. Addressing these challenges effectively is crucial for creating dynamic and adaptive documentation.

Conditional Text

One challenge arises when you need to index content that includes conditional text, which is text that appears or disappears based on specific conditions. DITA provides conditional processing attributes, such as <props> and <audience>, to manage this. You can create multiple versions of a topic, each with different conditions applied, and then use profiling or filtering mechanisms to control which version is displayed to the user based on their needs or context.

Variable Content

Another challenge arises when dealing with content that contains multiple variables. These variables can be anything from placeholders for user-specific information to dynamic data pulled from external sources. DITA allows you to define variables and use them within your content. Indexing such content requires a clear documentation strategy for these variables, ensuring that users understand how to interact with and customize the variable content to suit their requirements.

Example:

Here’s an example of how to handle conditional text and variable content in DITA XML:


<topic id="user_preferences">
  <title>User Preferences</title>
  <props audience="admin">
    <body>
      <p>This section provides instructions for configuring user preferences as an administrator.</p>
      <steps>
        <step>If you are an administrator, you can customize user preferences by following these steps:</step>
        <ul>
          <li>Log in to the admin portal.</li>
          <li>Navigate to the "User Preferences" section.</li>
          <li>...
        </ul>
      </steps>
    </body>
  </props>
  <props audience="user">
    <body>
      <p>This section provides guidance on customizing your user preferences.</p>
      <steps>
        <step>As a user, you can personalize your preferences by following these steps:</step>
        <ul>
          <li>Log in to your user account.</li>
          <li>Navigate to the "Preferences" page.</li>
          <li>...
        </ul>
      </steps>
    </body>
  </props>
</topic>

In this example, the same topic contains different content sections based on the audience attribute. Administrators and users will see tailored instructions for configuring preferences, demonstrating how conditional text can be managed in DITA XML.