# DITA features in the documentation

DITA Open Toolkit uses various recent DITA features in the project documentation.

The source files for the DITA-OT documentation include examples of the following DITA features (among others):

- subjectScheme classification for controlling available attributes
- profiling and branch filtering (novice/expert content)
- extending topics with conref push
- keys and key references
- XML mention domain

## Subject schemes

Various topics, sections and elements in the docs are profiled by audience:

    <li id="novice-variables-last" audience="novice">
      <p id="common-format-info">
        <varname>format</varname> is the output format (transformation type). This argument corresponds to the
        common parameter <xref keyref="parameters-base/transtype"/>. Use the same values as for the
          <parmname>transtype</parmname> build parameter, for example <option>html5</option> or
          <option>pdf</option>.</p>
    </li>

An “audience” subject scheme controls the values that are available for the `@audience` attribute:

    <subjectdef keys="audience">
      <subjectdef keys="novice"/>
      <subjectdef keys="expert"/>
      <subjectdef keys="xslt-customizer"/>
    </subjectdef>

A dedicated subject scheme map defines several series of permissible values for `@outputclass` attributes, which apply styling to elements on the project website, enable extended codeblock processing such as whitespace visualization and line numbering in PDF output, or trigger HTML5-compliant syntax highlighting via Prism.

    <schemeref href="subjectscheme-outputclass.ditamap"/>

## Branch filtering: re-using profiled content

Installing DITA-OT pulls a subset of the build description from using the dita command, filtered to display only content deemed suitable for novice users under First build:

    <topicref href="using-dita-command.dita"
              keys="first-build-using-dita-command" locktitle="yes">
      <topicmeta>
        <navtitle>First build</navtitle>
      </topicmeta>
      <ditavalref href="../resources/novice.ditaval">
        <ditavalmeta>
          <dvrResourcePrefix>first-build-</dvrResourcePrefix>
        </ditavalmeta>
      </ditavalref>
    </topicref>

The same content appears later in Using the dita command with additional information on arguments, options and examples.

    <topicref href="using-dita-command.dita"
              keys="build-using-dita-command" locktitle="yes">
      <topicmeta>
        <navtitle>Using the <cmdname>dita</cmdname> command</navtitle>
      </topicmeta>
      <ditavalref href="../resources/expert.ditaval">
        <ditavalmeta>
          <dvrResourcePrefix>build-</dvrResourcePrefix>
        </ditavalmeta>
      </ditavalref>

## Conref push

The docs build uses the conref push mechanism (with the `pushreplace`, `mark`, and `pushafter` conactions) to extend the parameter descriptions embedded in the default plug-ins:

    <plentry id="args.csspath">
      <pt>
        <parmname>args.csspath</parmname>
      </pt>
      <pd conaction="pushreplace" conref="parameters-html5.dita#html5/args.csspath.desc">
        <div conref="./ant-parameters-details.dita#base-html/args.csspath.desc"/>
      </pd>
      <pd conaction="mark" conref="parameters-html5.dita#html5/args.csspath.desc"/>
      <pd conaction="pushafter">
        <div conref="./ant-parameters-details.dita#base-html/args.csspath.details"/>
      </pd>
    </plentry>

The pushed content appears in the output after the default description. (See HTML-based output parameters.)

Tip:
You could also use the same mechanism to extend the documentation with custom information that applies only to your company’s toolkit distribution.

## Keys and key references

The `key-definitions.ditamap` defines keys for version references, re-usable links, etc.

This key definition defines the maintenance release version:

    <keydef keys="maintenance-version">
      <topicmeta>
        <keywords>
          <keyword>4.3.3</keyword>
        </keywords>
      </topicmeta>
    </keydef>

In topics, the keyword is used in place of hard-coded version references:

    <title>DITA Open Toolkit <keyword keyref="maintenance-version"/> Release Notes</title>

## XML mention domain

The docs use the XML mention domain to mark up XML elements and attributes:

    <li id="1777">
      DITA 1.3: Initial support has been added for the <xmlatt>orient</xmlatt>
      attribute on <xmlelement>table</xmlelement> elements. These changes allow
      Antenna House Formatter to render tables in landscape mode when the
      <xmlatt>orient</xmlatt> attribute is set to <option>land</option>. […]
    </li>

When the toolkit generates output for the sample above:

- the XML element name is wrapped in angle brackets as `<table>`
- the attribute name is prefixed with an “at” sign as `@orient`