Are there conventions for linking culinary terminology definitions within DITA content?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Linking culinary terminology definitions within DITA content is a crucial aspect of ensuring that readers can easily access and understand the meanings of specific terms. DITA provides conventions for linking definitions and terms, enhancing the overall usability and clarity of culinary documentation. Here are some conventions for linking culinary terminology definitions:

Inline Linking

In DITA, terminology definitions can be linked inline, allowing readers to hover over or click on a term to view its definition. This approach is particularly useful for brief explanations within the flow of text. For example, you can link the term “sauté” to its definition within the same topic, providing immediate context for the reader.

Cross-Topic Linking

For more extensive definitions or when terms are defined in separate topics, DITA supports cross-topic linking. This allows you to create hyperlinks from a term in one topic to its definition in another. This approach is beneficial when you want to maintain a centralized glossary or terminology database where definitions are stored in dedicated topics.

Example:

Here’s an example of how cross-topic linking can be implemented in DITA:


<topic id="cooking_techniques">
  <title>Cooking Techniques</title>
  <body>
    <p>In culinary arts, <term href="glossary#sauté">sauté</term> is a cooking technique used to quickly fry food in a small amount of oil or butter.</p>
  </body>
</topic>

<topic id="glossary">
  <title>Glossary</title>
  <body>
    <term id="sauté">
      <title>Sauté</title>
      <definition>The sauté cooking technique involves cooking food quickly in a small amount of fat over high heat, typically in a pan. It is often used to achieve browning and flavor development in dishes.</definition>
    </term>
  </body>

In this example, the term “sauté” in the “Cooking Techniques” topic is linked to its definition in the “Glossary” topic using the href attribute. Readers can click on the term to access its detailed definition.