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Ditamap rev column explanation

bfriesen
16-Pearl

Ditamap rev column explanation

Can some one with Dita knowledge (that is not me) answer my question. What should be displayed in the rev column?

If I set the rev level on a topic that is a procedure. Why does it not show up in my Ditamap. I can change the rev level in the Ditamap but that rev level has nothing to do with the actual topic itself. It only changes the referenced files rev level in that particular ditamap.

So If I use the same topic in two Ditamaps. According to the particular Ditamap, the topic could be rev A in one and rev B in the other, becuse the rev level is set in the Ditamap. But when opening the specific reused topic it could be a rev D already. We don't have a CMS, which I would expect would make this easier. How does one without a CMS manage rev levels of individual topics in a Ditamap with no way to see the rev level in the Ditamap.

Thanks

Bryon

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

By "rev" I think you you are referring to the @rev attribute that is in Column view as the "Revision". This is a DITA attribute that can be set for conditional processing as a revision. Note that the attribute cascades from map to topics but there is no reverse-cascading from topics to maps. Topics are individual content containers with presumably their own revisions, etc.

The DITA Specification provides a disclaimer about using this for things like version control:

Indicates a revision level of an element that identifies when the element was added or modified. It may be used to flag outputs when it matches a run-time parameter; it cannot be used for filtering. It is not sufficient to be used for version control.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 cascade from the closest ancestor.


Managing revision levels of a topic is certainly a tricky subject and a subject with a lot of conversation around it! Some ways I know is companies taking snapshots of all of the items and maintaining these. Certainly it is only as good as the discipline of each person to make a backup before making changes. Good luck  🙂

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By "rev" I think you you are referring to the @rev attribute that is in Column view as the "Revision". This is a DITA attribute that can be set for conditional processing as a revision. Note that the attribute cascades from map to topics but there is no reverse-cascading from topics to maps. Topics are individual content containers with presumably their own revisions, etc.

The DITA Specification provides a disclaimer about using this for things like version control:

Indicates a revision level of an element that identifies when the element was added or modified. It may be used to flag outputs when it matches a run-time parameter; it cannot be used for filtering. It is not sufficient to be used for version control.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 cascade from the closest ancestor.


Managing revision levels of a topic is certainly a tricky subject and a subject with a lot of conversation around it! Some ways I know is companies taking snapshots of all of the items and maintaining these. Certainly it is only as good as the discipline of each person to make a backup before making changes. Good luck  🙂

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