Relationship Table Links
Relationship tables enable you to link related topics to each other, across the scope of a map. In output, the Related Information links can help guide users to additional relevant information.
Default Relationship Table Overview
The first step to start using a relationship table is adding a reltable element to a map. To enable linking between the particular topics in a map, you insert the topicref elements into the appropriate relationship table cells. Heretto CCMS enables you to perform these actions by using an intuitive relationship table editor.
The following example shows that the reltable element links the “Concept A”, “Task A”, “Reference A”, “Reference B”, and “Reference C” topics together in the “Map A”. The topics are not linked outside the map.
The default relationship table layout includes three columns that correspond to the following topic types:
- concept topic
- task topic
- reference topic
By default, relationship tables handle linking in the following way:
- Topics in a given table row link to each other
- Topics in the same table cell don't link to each other
In the following example “Concept A” links to “Task A”, “Reference A”, “Reference B” and “Reference C” because these topics are in the same table row
The following PDF output examples illustrate the default linking settings of a relationship table.
Customized Relationship Table Overview
Relationship tables are highly customizable. The following attributes enable you to adjust the most useful linking settings in your relationship tables.
- collection-type attribute
- Assigning the family value to the collection-type attribute of the relcell element enables linking between topics inserted in the same relationship table cell.
In the following example, the cell that contains the concept topics is configured to enable cell linking.
The following PDF output example illustrates linking between “Reference A”, “Reference B”, and “Reference C” inserted in the same relationship table cell.
- linking attribute
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Assigning the sourceonly value to the linking attribute of the topicref element modifies the topic linking in the following way:
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Prevents other topics from linking to the topic
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Enables the topic to link to other topics
Assigning the targetonly value to the linking attribute of the topicref element modifies the topic linking in the following way:
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Enables other topics to link to the topic
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Prevents the topic from linking to other topics
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The following PDF output examples illustrate “Concept A” with linking attribute set to targetonly value.
The following PDF output example illustrates “Concept A” that links to “Task A” with linking attribute set to the targetonly value. “Task A” does not link to other topics in the same relationship table row.
Use Cases
Consider using relationship tables if you want to reuse topics in multiple maps or reduce the number of dependencies between topics.
- The following topics are linked together in the “Classic Toaster User Guide” map: “Cleaning the Toaster”, “Safety Warnings”, and “Specifications”.
- The links are placed at the end of each linked topic in the “Related
topic_type” section.
Where, topic_type is the type of a DITA topic that you link to.
Maintenance Considerations
Keep the following considerations in mind when working with relationship tables:
- Relationship tables require little maintenance because every link is in the reltable map element.
- Heretto CCMS includes an editor that enables you to easily manage linking in relationship tables by dragging and dropping topics into the appropriate table columns.
- Relationship tables do not limit topic reuse because you link topics on a map level.
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You can add multiple relationship tables to a map. It is useful if you plan to maintain a large number of relationship table links.
Publishing Considerations
Keep the following considerations in mind when publishing maps with relationship tables:
- Relationship table links are published at the end of a topic.
- If you publish to a print-friendly output (for example, PDF), links may reference a page number.
- Relationship table links resolve at publication time by populating the link text with topic titles.