How are publication metadata and branding managed in DITA government outputs?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

In DITA, managing publication metadata and branding is a streamlined process that ensures consistency and compliance with government standards. The separation of content and styling allows for centralized management of branding elements.

Metadata Management

Publication metadata such as titles, authors, and keywords are defined within DITA topics and maps, providing valuable information about the document content and facilitating better organization and retrieval. This metadata is crucial for archiving, searching, and complying with digital government standards.

Branding Consistency

For branding, DITA utilizes a combination of XML attributes and external stylesheets to apply visual styles consistently across all government outputs. This ensures that every publication carries the official branding elements, such as logos, color schemes, and typefaces, in a uniform manner.

Example

Below is a DITA XML example showcasing how metadata and branding are defined:


<topic id="health-and-safety-regulations">
  <title>Health and Safety Regulations</title>
  <prolog>
    <metadata>
      <author>Health Department</author>
      <source>Government Database</source>
      <publisher>Department of Public Welfare</publisher>
      <critdates>
        <created date="2023-01-01"/>
        <revised date="2023-06-01"/>
      </critdates>
      <keywords>
        <keyword>public health</keyword>
        <keyword>safety regulations</keyword>
      </keywords>
    </metadata>
  </prolog>
  <body outputclass="govt-branding">
    <section>
      <title>General Provisions</title>
      <p>Details on the general provisions for health and safety.</p>
    </section>
  </body>
</topic>

This DITA snippet includes metadata such as author, source, publisher, creation and revision dates, and keywords, all of which are critical for document identification and searchability. The ‘outputclass’ attribute specifies the application of government branding styles when the document is published.