Page 1 of 1

How to exclude text using both a DITIVAL file and "props"?

Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2020 12:59 am
by Carl
My project uses two DITIVAL files to toggle between terminology used for two area of our product. They are used for shared topics where only a name differs. For example, we tag text with props="area1" and props="area2". We then use two DITIVAL files that contain:

Code: Select all

<prop action="exclude" att="props" val="area1"/>
<prop action="exclude" att="props" val="area2"/>
We add the appropriate DITIVAL file to the appropriate ditamaps in our doc structure. In the paragraphs, we type values for both names and then "tag out" the one that doesn't belong in that chapter.

In addition, we've also defined normal "props" for hiding text in the WebHelp and hiding text in the PDF.

Our output transformation is configured so that the one for WebHelp excludes all text marked "Exclude WebHelp", and same for our PDF transformation.

I just discovered that, after looking more closely at the output, only the "props" settings are being respected. The DITVAL exclusions are not! I soon discovered why: the Oxygen setting uses radio buttons in the transformation Filters to specify which to use. Ours is set to use the profiling attributes. That explains why the DITIVAL settings are ignored. When I changed it to use the DITIVAL file, that works, but then the profiling attributes don't work!

My big question: How can I use BOTH profiling attributes and DITIVAL? Is that even possible? If not, how do I toggle between nomenclature used in different parts of my help, when shared topics are involved?

Finally, only one DITIVAL file can be specified in the transformation filter. But we use two DITIVALs in our project. Was that the wrong way to do it?

Re: How to exclude text using both a DITIVAL file and "props"?

Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:26 am
by Radu
Hi Carl,

Indeed our "Filters" tab from the transformation scenario edit dialog can filter either based on a single DITAVAL or based on that table of exclusions. A DITA OT publishing engine can handle multiple ditaval filter files but most users do not use that facility so until now we have chosen not to complicate the user interface for all of our users by allowing extra flexibility. We have an internal issue to look into how we can add that extra flexibility for the Filters tab but we have not yet started to work on it.
You can set multiple DITAVAL files using the Parameters tab:

viewtopic.php?p=57395#p51819

And in Oxygen 22.1 we added some extra flexibility in the fact that if in the "FIlters" tab you specify a filter (for example by filling the "Exclude from output..." table) and then in the Parameters tab you use the "args.filter" parameter to specify the path to your DITAVAL (or dita vals), Oxygen will send to the DITA OT publishing engine a reunion of the filters specified in the Filters tab with the filters specified via the parameter.

Regards,
Radu

Re: How to exclude text using both a DITIVAL file and "props"?

Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 4:18 pm
by chrispitude
Radu wrote: Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:26 amAnd in Oxygen 22.1 we added some extra flexibility in the fact that if in the "FIlters" tab you specify a filter (for example by filling the "Exclude from output..." table) and then in the Parameters tab you use the "args.filter" parameter to specify the path to your DITAVAL (or dita vals), Oxygen will send to the DITA OT publishing engine a reunion of the filters specified in the Filters tab with the filters specified via the parameter.
Hi Carl,

We find this "union of DITAVAL" files quite useful. Our transformation use the currently applied profiling condition set:

image.png
image.png (6.91 KiB) Viewed 1217 times

where the profiling conditions apply DITAVAL files for @product filtering:

image.png
image.png (14.22 KiB) Viewed 1217 times

We then have two separate PDF transformations, "review" and "final", that apply different @rev and @props flagging and filtering.

Oxygen automatically applies the union of the writer's currently selected @product, plus the @rev/@props settings pertinent to the transformation type. This saved us from not needing multiple product-specific PDF transformations.