Content Reuse Strategies for Building Multiple Markets Online Help

The project that I am currently working on is to build help for a web-based application that supports cross-market event registrations.

We write help in DITA. We use DITA OT to publish online help in HTML format, and a tool that I created to delivery embedded XML format help to the application user interface.

To maximum the reuse of content, three levels of strategies are adopted:

• Topic level reuse
• Paragraph level reuse
• Phase level reuse

Topic level reuse

A ditamap can reuse content in the topic level. We have core content for all markets, and market specific content for a specific market. Since maps only processes topics in the same directory as the map, or in the sub-directories of the map's directory. The structure of the content should be maps of each market are stored outside of the core and makets directories. A second level of maps can be created to organize a set of topics for one feature within the core or market directories. This second level maps can be reused by different market maps.

Paragraph level reuse

Conditional text can reuse content in the paragraph level. If there are only one or two sentences difference in a topic for different markets, you can add an attribute to indicate which market this paragraph belongs to. By adding a filter ditaval file to the DITA OT, maket specific paragraph will be delivered to each market.

Phase level reuse

DITA 1.2 keydef element can reuse content in the phase level. The keydef element can be used in combination with the keyword element in a ditamap to define and set "variables" for small pieces of content that may change fairly often, such as UI labels, product name, version etc.

These keys (or variables) can be redefined later in the same map or in another map and all topics that reference the keys will automatically pick up the changes. For example, you can put a particular product name into a DITA map, and indicate in topics where you want the product name to appear. When you generate output using the map, its topics will display the product name in the appropriate places.

Keydef.ditamap

<map>
<keydef keys="marketname">
<topicmeta>
<keywords>
<keyword>Camp</keyword>
</keywords>
</topicmeta>
</keydef>
<keydef keys="eventname">
<topicmeta>
<keywords>
<keyword>Camping sites</keyword>
</keywords>
</topicmeta>
</keydef>
<topicref href="eventsetup.dita"/>
</map>

eventsetup.ditamap
<concept>
<title>Event Setup</title>
<conbody>
<p>You can use ActiveWorks <keyword keyref="marketname"/> to set up
your <keyword keyref="eventname"/>.</p>
</conbody>
</concept>