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I am quite new to DITA authoring, and trying to accomplish a quite simple task.

I have separated chapter in topics, but within topics I have nested content.

I gave a try to sections, but seems I cannot nest them, and also sectiondiv doesn't have title. Also nesting topics doesn't seem the right way to go.

This what I need to have:

Chapter title
   introduction text
   title 1
   text....
      title 1.1
         text....
         title 1.1.1
         text....
   title 2
      title 2.1
      text....
      title 2.2
      text....

What's the best way to structure the information with DITA ?

Leonardo
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1 Answers1

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You are going to need to rework some of the content in your current topics that contain nested content. You have two choices:

  • Move each topic into a separate file and aggregate then for delivery using a DITA map
  • Use nested topics within your current files to create the hierarchy that you want

These are the two DITA architectural mechanisms for creating a navigational hierarchy. Either of these approaches will yield the following result; do note that I have added numbering for the chapter:

Chapter title A
introduction text
title A.1
text....
title A.1.1
text....
title A. 1.1.1
text....
title A.2
title A.2.1
text....
title A.2.2
text....

Kristen James Eberlein
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  • Thanks. So, I have to think a chapter as an aggregate of topics ? Is that correct ? Also are there any downside in following one of the two approaches ? – Leonardo Feb 02 '14 at 14:46
  • I prefer storing each topic as separate object (file), and using maps to create hierarchy and aggregate content for delivery. This facilitates reuse and lets you deliver content for translation in a more granular manner. Also, it is simpler to address a DITA topic than a DITA topic nested within another topic. – Kristen James Eberlein Feb 06 '14 at 16:50