The <reference> element defines
a top-level container for a reference topic. Reference topics document
programming constructs or facts about a product. Examples of reference
topics include (but are not limited to) product specifications, environmental
specifications, equipment lists, parts lists, required tools, language
elements, class descriptions, commands, functions, and
API information. All of these items provide quick access to facts,
but no deeper explanation of related concepts or tasks. Reference
topics have the same high-level structure as any other topic type,
with a title, short description, and body. Within the body, reference
topics are typically organized into one or more sections, property
lists, and tables. The reference topic type provides general rules
that apply to all kinds of reference information, using elements like <refsyn>
for syntax or signatures, and <properties>
for lists of properties and values.
Contains
Note: These models represent only the default document types distributed by OASIS.
Actual content models will differ with each new document type.
Inheritance
-
topic/topic reference/reference
Example
Figure 1. Reference
topic for software material
<reference id="refexample">
<title>A reference topic/title>
<refbody>
<refsyn>Describe command or api syntax here, possibly
using synph or syntax elements markup for explicit
definition of syntax or prototype construction.</refsyn>
<section><title>Some section title</title></section>
<properties>
<property>
<proptype>type</proptype>
<propvalue>value</propvalue>
<propdesc>description</propdesc>
</property>
</properties>
</refbody>
</reference>
Figure 2. Reference topic for hardware maintenance
The following information could apply to an entire set of maintenance
procedures, each of which would link to this topic.
<reference id="requiredTools">
<title>Tools required to maintain a big machine</title>
<refbody>
<section>
<title>Small tools</title>
<ul>
<li>Hard hat</li>
<li>Hammer</li>
<li>Nail</li>
<li>Metal polish</li>
<!-- .... -->
</ul>
</section>
<section>
<title>Expensive tools</title>
...
</section>
</refbody>
</reference>
Attributes
| Name |
Description |
Data Type |
Default Value |
Required? |
| id |
This ID enables topics to be referenced uniquely by
topicrefs in DITA maps. |
ID |
|
Yes |
| conref-atts attribute group (conref, conrefend, conaction,
conkeyref) |
A set of related attributes; includes all of the attributes
described in
id-atts attribute group
except for the id attribute. |
|
|
|
| xmlns:ditaarch |
Declares the default DITA namespace. |
|
"http://dita.oasis-open.org/architecture/2005/" |
|
| DITAArchVersion |
Designates the version of the architecture that is in use.
The default value will increase with each release of DITA. |
CDATA |
"1.2" |
No |
| domains |
Indicates the specialized domains that are included in the
DTD or Schema. This value will differ depending on what domains are included in
the current DTD or Schema. |
CDATA |
Varies based on the DTD or Schema; a sample value is
"(topic ui-d) (topic hi-d) (topic pr-d) (topic sw-d) (topic ut-d) (topic
indexing-d)" |
No |
| select-atts attribute group (props, base, platform, product,
audience, otherprops, importance, rev, status) |
A set of related attributes, described in
select-atts attribute group |
|
|
|
| localization-atts attribute group (translate, xml:lang,
dir) |
A set of related attributes, described in
localization-atts attribute group.
|
|
|
|
| global-atts attribute group (xtrf, xtrc) |
A set of related attributes, described in
global-atts attribute group |
|
|
|
| class, outputclass |
Common attributes described in
Other common DITA attributes |
|
|
|