References in DITA Documents

Referencing is an effective means of content reuse in DITA. Content reuse is available at different levels (elements, topics, maps) by means of different types of references.

Instead of repeating some information, you can reuse it one of these ways with the help of a reference:
  1. Point to a target

    To point to a target, use these references:
    1. Xref

      Xref, or cross-reference, is a link from within the body of a topic to any local or external target.

    2. Related links

      Related links are the related information links of a topic that are stored in a special section following the body of the topic.

  2. Transclude the content of a target

    To transclude the content of a target, use conref .

    Conref, or content reference, is an attribute of an element within a topic or a map that pulls the content into the element from another element of the same type. Any topic and element with an ID can be reused by means of a conref.

  3. Include a topic or a map in multiple maps

    To include a topic or a map in a map, use topicref .

    Topicref, or topic reference, is a reference from within a map to an external topic, DITA document or non-DITA document.

Serna validates references.

Important:

All editions of Serna support DITA. However, DITA usability tools (DITA dialogs available through the DITA menu and the DITA toolbar), which facilitate the insertion of common DITA constructs, and reference navigation are available in Serna Enterprise Edition only. Download a free trial of Serna Enterprise at http://www.syntext.com/downloads/serna/.

Related concepts
DITA ID Management
DITA Custom Content
Images in DITA Documents
Deprecated Content in DITA Documents