How is version control applied to shared content components in DITA aerospace documentation?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Version control is a critical aspect of managing shared content components in DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture) aerospace documentation. Aerospace organizations often deal with complex and interconnected documentation, which necessitates robust version control mechanisms to ensure content consistency and traceability. In DITA, version control is typically applied to shared content components through the use of specialized elements and attributes that help manage changes and updates efficiently.

One common method of implementing version control in DITA is through the use of the “audience” and “product” attributes. These attributes allow for conditional processing, enabling you to manage different versions of a document for various audiences or product models. By assigning specific audience or product identifiers to content components, you can easily control which components are included in the final output for a particular document version. This approach ensures that the shared content remains consistent and relevant to the intended audience or product model.

Here’s an example of how version control is applied to shared content components in DITA using audience and product attributes:

<!-- Example of Version Control in DITA XML -->
<concept id="component123">
  <title>Flight Safety Procedures</title>
  <audience product="modelA modelB">Maintenance Personnel</audience>
  <audience product="modelC">Pilots</audience>
  <body>
    <p>These procedures provide important safety instructions for <product product="modelA">Model A</product> and <product product="modelB">Model B</product> maintenance personnel.</p>
    <p>For <product product="modelC">Model C</product> pilots, different safety procedures apply.</p>
  </body>
</concept>

In this example, the “audience” and “product” attributes are used to control which content is relevant to maintenance personnel and pilots of different aircraft models. This version control approach ensures that the shared content components can be reused and adapted for various aerospace audiences and product models while maintaining content consistency.