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DITA: Variables

DITA doesn't have an actual variables element, but you can use keyref to accomplish the same thing.

A variable is a symbol that represents something else. You might use the variable product_name so that if you're product name switches, you don't have to update all instances of the product name in your documentation. You can just update what the variable product_name points to.

In your map file, add the following: 
  <keydef keys="product_name">
   <topicmeta>
    <keywords>
     <keyword>ACME</keyword>
    </keywords>
   </topicmeta>
  </keydef>
In your topic file, reference the variable with the following: 
Congratulations on the purchase of <keyword keyref="product_name"/>.

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You can event put attributes on the keyword so that different product names appear based on different conditional processing.

 <keydef keys="product_name">
   <topicmeta>
    <keywords>
     <keyword audience="UK">ACME</keyword>
     <keyword audience="USA">Gizmo</keyword>
    </keywords>
   </topicmeta>
  </keydef>

About Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

I'm an API technical writer based in the Seattle area. On this blog, I write about topics related to technical writing and communication — such as software documentation, API documentation, AI, information architecture, content strategy, writing processes, agent skills, tech comm careers, and more. Check out my AI courses for more on the latest in AI and tech comm. If you're looking for info about documenting APIs, see my API documentation course.

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