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Subject: Re: [dita] index terms
Erik Hennum wrote: > The problem is architectural: properties that span multiple topics should > be specified in the map context and not in the topic content. I agree with Erik here: ranges that span topics cannot be done using embedded index entries. They must be done at the map level. Note that this is a special case of the more general problem of managing linking among re-used components (for example, the case where Topic A wants to have a cross reference to Topic B). The only way to support this type of direct linking in a re-use environment is to do it in such a way that the links are bound to the use context, not the individual components being used. In DITA terms this means "at the map level" because it is the map that defines a specific use context, that is, a unique packaging of a set of components for a specific delivery purpose (what I usually call a "unit of publication"). However, having said that, it's difficult for me to imagine that few, if any, DITA users would actually eat the expense of doing indexing that is this sophisticated. Given the relatively low retrieval value of back-of-the-book indexes for information delivered primarily in electronic form it's difficult to see that an authoring group would choose to invest its limited resources in indexing rather than some other, higher-value aspect of the information. Any publication group that cares that much about indexes is probably a print-primary group for whom DITA is not an approprate choice in any case. Therefore, I do not see any compelling reason to try to design an explicit index range mechanism for DITA, at least not one that can span topics. > A last consideration. The <term> and <keyword> elements delimit controlled > vocabularies that are embedded in the discourse. Should the writer have to > add an index marker to index such instances of controlled vocabularies? Or > would we be better off indexing delimited vocabularies (possibly under the > control of policies)? I would expect a full-featured DITA processor to provide the option of including all keywords, terms, and other clearly-defined "mention" instances in a back-of-the-book index. The only downside here is that there's probably no reliable way to infer a multi-level hierarchy but that's probably not a big problem in practice. I would normally expect explicit index entries to be an escape for authors when the use of existing classifying metadata and "mention" elements isn't sufficient to produce a usable index or acceptable retrieval performance. Cheers, E. -- W. Eliot Kimber Professional Services Innodata Isogen 9390 Research Blvd, #410 Austin, TX 78759 (512) 372-8841 ekimber@innodata-isogen.com www.innodata-isogen.com
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