DITA maps

Maps organize topics for output to a specific deliverable, including generating navigation files and links to related topics.

1. What are maps?
   DITA maps are documents that collect and organize references to DITA topics to indicate the relationships among the topics. They can also serve as outlines or tables of contents for DITA deliverables and as build manifests for DITA projects.
2. Why DITA maps?
   Maps allow scalable reuse of content across multiple contexts. They can be used by information architects, writers, and publishers to plan, develop, and deliver content.
3. Common DITA map attributes and metadata
   DITA maps have many of the same common attributes as DITA content, but also have some additional ones for controlling the way relationships are interpreted for different output purposes.
4. DITA map structure
   Maps organize topics into hierarchies, tables, and groups, and have special elements for referencing other maps.
5. DITA map modules
   Maps have the same module structure as topics, and share some of the same modules for defining metadata.
6. Inheritance of attributes and metadata in maps
   Some of the attributes and metadata in a map can be inherited based on the structures in the map.
7. Bookmap
   The bookmap specialization of DITA's standard DITA map allows you to organize your DITA topics into a collection that can be printed as a book or other paged layout.
8. Map domains
   The following domains provide expanded functionality for map document types that incorporate them.

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OASIS DITA Architectural Specification v1.1 -- Committee Draft 02, 8 May 2007
Copyright © OASIS Open 2005, 2007. All Rights Reserved.