Adapting indexing for responsive DITA design and viewing on various screen sizes is essential to provide a seamless user experience across different devices. Responsive design ensures that your DITA content looks and functions well on both large desktop screens and small mobile devices.

Flexible Layout

In responsive DITA design, the layout of the index should be flexible and adapt to the available screen space. This can be achieved through CSS media queries that adjust the styling and arrangement of index entries based on screen size. For example, on larger screens, you might display a multi-column index, while on smaller screens, you could switch to a single-column layout for improved readability.

Touch-Friendly Interactions

Since mobile devices primarily use touch input, it’s important to make index interactions touch-friendly. Ensure that index entries are easily tappable, with enough spacing between them to prevent accidental taps. Implement touch gestures like swiping to navigate through the index, making it intuitive for mobile users.

Example:

Here’s an example of how responsive DITA design can be implemented for indexing:

<index type="responsive">
  <flexible-layout>true</flexible-layout>
  <touch-friendly-interactions>true</touch-friendly-interactions>

By incorporating these responsive design considerations into your DITA indexing, you can deliver a consistent and user-friendly experience across various screen sizes and devices.