<fig>: How do you use the <fig> element to embed or reference figures, images, or visual content within a DITA topic?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Efficiently incorporating figures, images, and visual content into DITA topics is essential for creating comprehensive and engaging documentation. The <fig> element in DITA XML serves as a versatile tool for embedding or referencing visual content within your topics. It allows you to include images, diagrams, charts, or other visual aids to enhance the understanding of your content.

Embedding Visual Content

You can use the <fig> element to directly embed visual content within a DITA topic. This involves referencing the file path or URL of the image you want to include. DITA processing systems will render the image in the topic at the specified location. This approach is suitable when the visual content is an integral part of your documentation and should always appear within the topic.

Example:

Here’s an example illustrating how to use the <fig> element to embed an image in a DITA topic:


<topic id="user_guide">
  <title>User Guide</title>
  <body>
    <p>Follow these steps to get started:</p>
    <fig href="images/getting_started.png" scalefit="yes" />
    <p>Once you complete these steps, you'll be ready to use our software.</p>
  </body>
</topic>

In this example, the <fig> element is used to embed an image (“getting_started.png”) within a DITA topic. The “scalefit” attribute ensures that the image scales to fit the available space in the topic, providing a seamless user experience.