A DITA topic is a stand-alone data module that contains multimodal text. The module has a title and enough information to explain a specific procedure or concept. Each topic is written in such a way that it is independent of other topics and can be reused in different publications whenever appropriate. The content of the topic is presented in a flat structure. Structure and context are established when the topic is inserted into a topic map together with other topics.

The most important topic types are:

Task: A task topic (procedure) must contain a procedure. And only one.
Concept: A concept topic must contain a conceptual description, i.e. what something is, or how it works. The information should expand the reader's understanding when a procedure is to be done, or contribute information that is "important" for the reader.
Reference: A reference topic must also contain a conceptual description, but the topic is reserved for information of the "reference information" type. This is information that the reader "might" need, or that it is "nice to know". We often say that these are texts reserved for those readers who want to become "experts".

Procedure

From the editor's main menu, select Tridion Docs ➜ Browse repository.
In the database structure, navigate to the folder where you want to establish a new topic.
If necessary, create a new folder:
1. Right-click on a selected folder and select New ➜ Folder.
2. In the dialogue box that opens, give the new folder a sensible name.
3. Set Content type to Topic.
4. Click OK.
To create the new topic:
1. Open the folder in which you want to create the new topic.
2. On the toolbar on the right hand side, click the green + symbol to bring up relevant templates.
3. Select the desired template for Task, Concept or Reference topic.
4. In the dialogue box that opens, fill in all relevant metadata fields.
  Pay special attention to the metadata title. Create a title that meets all relevant naming rules.
5. Click OK.
Right-click on the new object and select Check out.
Enter the desired content.
Recommended: Before you finalize the topic, do this:
1. Add two <comment> elements just below the <title>.
2. Copy the topic's metadata title into the top <comment>.
3. Copy the topic's GUID identifier into the next <comment>.
Like this:
```
<title>The topic's title (shown in the publication)</title>
<comment>The topic's metadata title</comment>
<comment>The topic's GUID identifier</comment>
```
The information in the comments is displayed when you preview the topic. When you import the topic into a topic map, copy these comments into the map. This allows you to clearly see which topic you have linked to.
From the editor's main menu, select Tridion Docs ➜ Check in.

Related concepts

About DITA topics

Topic content and structure

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2022-11-29