What is the role of content models in IT DITA specializations?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Content models are fundamental in IT DITA specializations, as they define the structure and organization of content within specialized document types. A content model specifies which elements can be used within a specific DITA topic type, the order in which these elements can appear, and the relationships between them. In the context of IT DITA specializations, content models play a crucial role in ensuring that documentation conforms to industry standards and remains consistent across various IT projects.

Here’s an HTML-friendly example to illustrate the role of content models in an IT DITA specialization:


<!-- Content model for an IT security document specialization -->
<topic id="it-security-document" spec-type="IT-Security">
  <title>IT Security Document</title>
  <shortdesc>Document describing IT security practices.</shortdesc>
  <body>
    <sec id="overview">
      <title>Overview</title>
      <p>This section provides an overview of IT security practices.</p>
    </sec>
    <sec id="best-practices">
      <title>Best Practices</title>
      <p>Here, you'll find recommended IT security best practices.</p>
    </sec>
    <sec id="compliance">
      <title>Compliance</title>
      <p>Information on industry-specific compliance requirements.</p>
    </sec>
  </body>
</topic>

In this example, the content model for an IT security document specialization defines the structure. It specifies that a document must include an “overview” section, a “best practices” section, and a “compliance” section, ensuring that essential aspects of IT security are consistently covered in various documents.