What is the role of context variables and dynamic linking in providing user assistance in DITA?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Context variables and dynamic linking are essential features in DITA that contribute significantly to providing user assistance. They enhance the adaptability and relevance of content to users’ specific contexts. Here’s a detailed explanation of their roles:

Context Variables

Context variables in DITA allow you to define and store variables that capture various aspects of the user’s context. These variables can include information such as the user’s role, location, product version, or language preference. By using context variables, you can create content that is dynamic and personalized based on these variables.

For example, if you have a software user manual, you can use context variables to customize the content for different user roles. When a user accesses the manual, the content can dynamically adapt to display information relevant to their specific role, making it more useful and tailored to their needs.

Dynamic Linking

Dynamic linking, also known as conditional processing, allows you to create links in your DITA content that adapt based on conditions defined by context variables. This means that the links can change dynamically depending on the user’s context. For instance, you can create a link to related content that is specific to the user’s product version or language preference.

Dynamic linking enhances user assistance by providing relevant information without overwhelming users with unnecessary details. It ensures that users can easily navigate to content that is directly applicable to their situation, improving their overall experience and efficiency.

Example:

Here’s an example of how context variables and dynamic linking can be used in DITA XML:


<topic id="dynamic_help">
  <title>Dynamic Help</title>
  <body>
    <section>
      <title>Context Variables</title>
      <p>Context variables like <code><user-role></code> and <code><product-version></code> can be defined and used to personalize content.</p>
    </section>
    <section>
      <title>Dynamic Linking</title>
      <p>Dynamic links, such as <link href="help/user_manual.dita" text="User Manual" conkeyref="user-role" conrefend="end" /> can adapt to the user's context, providing relevant information.</p>
    </section>
  </body>
</topic>

In this example, context variables like <code><user-role></code> and dynamic links are used to create personalized content based on the user’s role. The dynamic link points to the relevant section of the user manual based on the user’s context.