Can attributes like @rev, @revprop, and @props be used for conditional processing?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

The @rev, @revprop, and @props attributes in DITA XML are typically used to manage metadata related to revision history and to store custom properties associated with topics. These attributes are not specifically designed for conditional processing. Instead, they help you track information about the content and topics within your DITA documents.

Understanding the Attributes:

The @rev attribute typically stores the revision or change history of a topic. It’s used to indicate when the content was modified, who made the changes, and what those changes were. This information is vital for version control and tracking content updates.

The @revprop attribute stores revision properties, which can include custom metadata specific to a revision. This allows you to add extra information about a revision, such as the reason for the change or the impact on the document.

The @props attribute is used to store custom properties associated with a topic. These properties can be used to add additional information or metadata that is relevant to your documentation but may not have a standard DITA attribute available.

Example:

Here’s an example of how these attributes are used in a DITA topic:


<topic id="topic123">
  <title>Document Review</title>
  <body>...
  <rev who="John Doe" when="2023-11-01">Updated section on installation.</rev>
  <revprop name="Reason">Clarified installation steps.</revprop>
  <props>
    <prop name="Audience">Technical writers</prop>
    <prop name="Keywords">Documentation, Installation</prop>
  </props>

In this example, the @rev attribute records the revision history, the @revprop attribute stores the reason for the change, and the @props attribute is used to add custom metadata like the target audience and keywords to the topic.