Specialized topic types in DITA can indeed include unique metadata or attributes. DITA is a highly flexible and extensible markup language that allows organizations to define their own specialized topic types or extend existing ones. These specialized topics can have custom metadata and attributes tailored to the specific needs of the organization or the nature of the content.

Custom Metadata

One of the advantages of using specialized topic types is the ability to define custom metadata. Organizations can create attributes that capture information relevant to their content. For instance, in the context of a pharmaceutical company, a specialized topic for drug documentation might include attributes like “dosage,” “side effects,” and “contraindications.” These attributes provide unique metadata for that specific type of content.

Example:

Here’s an example of a specialized DITA topic with custom metadata and attributes:

<drug-documentation>
  <title>Medication X - User Guide</title>
  <dosage>Take one tablet daily</dosage>
  <side-effects>Rare: nausea, headache</side-effects>
  <contraindications>Do not use if allergic to the medication</contraindications>
  <content>...
</drug-documentation>

In this example, the “drug-documentation” topic type includes custom metadata such as “dosage,” “side effects,” and “contraindications” specific to drug documentation.