Branch submap(s)

Once you have branched a parent (root) map, you can branch the subordinate maps that it contains.

  • The root map must be open in the DITA Map view.
  • All referring documents must be in a state that allows them to be branched.

Use this procedure when you want to branch a map that's inside another map that you've already branched. This option does not create a new branch; it branches the submap as a subordinate document of the root map. A copy of the map file is created in the Authoring cycle and given the tag of the root map.

A branched submap has the status Authoring:work (or its equivalent in your workflow).

You do not need to explicitly branch a submap if you branch any of the topics it contains, because that action will cause the submap to be branched automatically. Otherwise, you must manually select all the submaps you want to branch. If the map contains multiple levels of nested submaps, you must open each map level to see and select all the submaps if you want to branch them.

You can also branch submaps, together with other topics within a map using the Branch Documents option.

To branch a map:

In the DITA Map view, right-click the submap and select Branch > Branch Map.
The Progress Information dialog tells you that the map is being branched.
A copy of the submap is created in the Authoring cycle and assigned the appropriate status. A branched submap automatically receives the same tag as the parent map.