%select-atts;

Attributes that support both filtering and flagging include props , platform , product , audience , and otherprops . Attribute base is a generic attribute that is available for specialization; it can be specialized for values that have a simple value syntax like the filter attributes, but is not itself a filtering or flagging attribute. Attribute rev only lets you flag information that matches a run-time parameter. Attribute importance provides a range of values for applications to use as needed. The %select-atts; entity also includes additional entities that allow it to include specializations of the props and base attribute. See the DITA Architectural Specification for more information on filtering or flagging with attributes, as well as for information on specialization the base and props attributes.

Attributes

Name	Description	Data Type	Default Value	Required?
props	Root attribute from which new metadata attributes can be specialized. This is a property attribute which supports conditional processing for filtering or flagging. If no value is specified, but the attribute is specified on an ancestor within a map or within the related-links section, the value will inherit from the closest ancestor. The attribute takes a space delimited set of values. However, when acting as a container for generalized attributes, the content model will be more complex; that model is documented in the "attribute generalization" section of the DITA architectural specification.	CDATA	#IMPLIED	No
base	A generic attribute that has no specific purpose, but is intended to act as a base for specialized attributes that have a simple value syntax like the conditional processing attributes (one or more alphanumeric values separated by whitespace). The attribute takes a space delimited set of values. However, when acting as a container for generalized attributes, the content model will be more complex; that model is documented in the "attribute generalization" section of the DITA architectural specification.	CDATA	#IMPLIED	No
platform	Indicates operating system and hardware. This is a property attribute which supports conditional processing for filtering or flagging. If no value is specified, but the attribute is specified on an ancestor within a map or within the related-links section, the value will inherit from the closest ancestor. The attribute takes a space delimited set of values.	CDATA	#IMPLIED	No
product	Contains the name of the product to which the topic applies. This is a property attribute which supports conditional processing for filtering or flagging. If no value is specified, but the attribute is specified on an ancestor within a map or within the related-links section, the value will inherit from the closest ancestor. The attribute takes a space delimited set of values.	CDATA	#IMPLIED	No
audience	Indicates the intended audience for the element. This is a property attribute which supports conditional processing for filtering or flagging. If no value is specified, but the attribute is specified on an ancestor within a map or within the related-links section, the value will inherit from the closest ancestor. The attribute takes a space delimited set of values.	CDATA	#IMPLIED	No
otherprops	This attribute can be used for any other properties that might be needed to describe an audience, or to provide selection criteria for the element. This is a property attribute which supports conditional processing for filtering or flagging. If no value is specified, but the attribute is specified on an ancestor within a map or within the related-links section, the value will inherit from the closest ancestor. The attribute takes a space delimited set of values.	CDATA	#IMPLIED	No
importance	A range of values that describe an importance or priority attributed to an element. For example, in steps of a task, the attribute indicates whether a step is optional or required.	obsolete \| deprecated \| optional \| default \| low \| normal \| high \| recommended \| required \| urgent \| -dita-use-conref-target	#IMPLIED	No
rev	Indicates revision level of an element. It is useful for flagging outputs based on revision. If no value is specified, but the attribute is specified on an ancestor within a map or within the related-links section, the value will inherit from the closest ancestor.	CDATA	#IMPLIED	No
status	The status of the current element.	new \| changed \| deleted \| unchanged \| -dita-use-conref-target	#IMPLIED	No

Example

The %select-atts; parameter entity is used within the DITA DTDs as a common definition for attributes available to most elements for you to enable the content for improved retrievability or for selection. Some typical examples include:

The <keyword platform="Linux">chmod</keyword> command...
<ph product="WhiteknuckleHandsoap">Amalgamated Cleansers get the grime!</ph>
<msgph audience="programmer administrator">Divide by -1 error.</msgph>
<ph otherprops="java">When using Java, use the 
  <apiname>com.ibm.obscureclass</apiname> to calculate the value.</ph>
<p importance="recommended" rev="3.2">Update anti-virus software often.</p>

Note that, aside from those with pre-defined values, these attributes allow multiple values. For example, the audience attribute in the example indicates that the message is of interest to both programmers and administrators.