Changes from DITA 1.2 to DITA 1.3

DITA 1.3 adds a number of new features and refinements to DITA.

Enhancements to keys
  • Added scoped keys
  • Added facility for key-based, cross-deliverable addressing
New XML grammars
The DITA standard now supports RELAX NG.
Enhancements to conditional processing (filtering)
  • Enabled information architects to associate DITAVAL conditions with specific topic collections in a map (branch filtering). Prior to DITA 1.3, a set of DITAVAL conditions could only be associated with a root map.
  • Expanded syntax for filtering attributes. The original property attributes (@audience, @platform, @product, and @otherprops) now accept grouped values, using the same syntax for generalized attribute values within @props and @base.
Enhancements to addressing
Added new (abbreviated) syntax for addressing an element within the same DITA topic
Enhancements to specialization
Enabled individual element types of structural specializations to be reused by other structural specializations without requiring one to be specialized from the other. For example, allowed the <steps> element from <task> to be reused in place of an <ol> within a <remedy> section of the troubleshooting document type.
Increased support for producing troubleshooting information
  • Added a new value, "trouble", for the @type attribute of the <note> element
  • Added a new element, <steptroubleshooting>, which is designed to contain information that might assist users when a step does not produce the expected result or complete successfully
  • Added a new element, <tasktroubleshooting>, which is designed to contain information that might assist users when a task does not produce the expected result or complete successfully
  • Added a new troubleshooting topic
Increased support for producing user assistance
  • Added the following new attributes to <resourceid>:
    • @appid
    • @ux-context-string
    • @ux-source-priority
    • @ux-windowref
  • Added a new element, <ux-window>, designed to specify a window or viewport in which an online help topic or Web page is displayed
New domains

Added the following new domains:

  • Markup and XML mention domains, designed to support the description and documentation of XML document types and XML applications
  • Release management domain, designed to enable content authors to log comments and metadata in DITA topics and maps when changes are made
  • Equation and MathML domains, designed to enable use of MathML markup within DITA documents, as well as use-by-reference of MathML markup that is held in separate, non-DITA documents
  • SVG domain, designed to enable use of SVG markup within DITA documents, as well as use-by-reference of SVG markup that is held in separate, non-DITA documents
Enhancements to the learning and training specialization
  • Added the learning object map: <learningObjectMap>
  • Added the learning object reference: <learningObjectMapRef>
  • Added the learning group map: <learningGroupMap>
  • Added the learning group reference: <learningGroupMapRef>
  • Added a new base domain and specialized domain for question and answer interactions
New base elements and attributes
  • Added the <div> element. This element enables arbitrary grouping of content within a topic. It is primarily intended as a way to group content for content referencing or as a basis for specialization.
  • Added new conditional processing attribute, @deliveryTarget, to replace the now-deprecated @print attribute. Users can set controlled values for the @deliveryTarget attribute by using a subject scheme map.
  • Added @orient to <table> and @rotate to <entry>. These new attributes enable authors to control formatting more precisely for print-based output formats.
  • Added @scope and @headers attributes to the <entry> element in tables. These new attributes are intended for extremely complex tables where accessibility cannot be handled based on existing header markup.
  • Added a new attribute, @cascade, to better control how metadata attributes cascade within a DITA map
Modifications to the base content model
  • Enabled <draft-comment> in more places
  • Enabled <text> in more places
  • Extended content model of <data> to allow additional phrase level markup.
  • Extended the list of values allowed for the @style attribute on <prop> and <revprop> elements in DITAVAL files.
  • Enabled <ph> within <indexterm>. This makes it possible to use specializations of the <ph> element, such as <sup> and <sub>, within index entries.
  • Enabled @keyref for <object> and <param>
  • Added <data> to the content model for lists
  • Added new default values for the @format and @scope attributes
  • Added @rev attribute to <title>
  • Added <cite> to the content model of <title> and similar elements
  • Added <xref> to the content model for <shortdesc>
Refinements to base domains
  • Added element for sorting, <sort-as>, to the utilities domain
  • Added new elements <line-through> and <overline> to the highlighting domain