Create a new map template

Map templates allow users to produce documents with a consistent structure and appearance, without duplication of effort. For example, you can set up map templates with the company's standard cover, legal notices, and frontmatter, to which members of the documentation team can add content.

1. Create a map with the required cover and frontmatter, plus any other content that will be common to all documents based on this template.
   Tip: If using an existing map as your starting point, clone it first and rename it (for example, ProductATemplate).

   CAUTION: Do not include topics or images that can vary from document to document, because if these or their dependent images are deleted, maps created with the template will have errors.
2. Right-click the map and select Generate Output.
   The Generate Output window appears.
3. From the Output Format drop-down menu, select Export.
4. Click Create.
5. In the Save As dialog, choose a path to a local folder. Click Save.
   The file is saved and given a system name (typically a numerical string) and the suffix ditamap.
6. Rename the exported map filename so the template can be easily recognized by users.
7. Open the template map in a text editor.
8. Strip out all ixia_locid attributes and the numbers that follows it.
   For example: ixia_locid="6".

   If you are using an editor that uses regular expressions, you can use the following expression to find all instances of ixia_locid and its following number: \b(ixia_locid)( |=)=? ?"\d+\b". The matches all occurrences of the ixia_locid attribute in content, along with values of any number of digits.

9. Remove the <containerref> element.
   This applies only if your deployment of IXIASOFT CCMS uses IXIASOFT Dynamic Release Management.
10. If the template might be used in IXIASOFT CCMS Desktop, add template variables:
    Important: The map template must include the ID, language, and title as variables, or the map created from the template will be invalid.

    However, CCMS Web does not fully support the use of variables currently. Avoid using variables in places beyond ID, language, and title if the template will be used in CCMS Web.

    1. Delete the existing map ID attribute value and replace it with the following variable: {{ixia.id}}
       For example:

       <bookmap id="{{ixia.id}}" xml:lang="{{ixia.xml:lang}}">

    2. Delete the existing xml:lang attribute value and replace it with the following variable: {{ixia.xml:lang}}
       For example:

       <bookmap id="{{ixia.id}}" xml:lang="{{ixia.xml:lang}}">

    3. Delete the existing title and replace it with the following variable: {{ixia.title}}
       For example:

       <title>{{ixia.title}}</title>

       Note: For bookmaps, put the variable in the <mainbooktitle> element:

       <booktitle>        
               <mainbooktitle>{{ixia.title}}</mainbooktitle>
             </booktitle>

    4. If your organization has custom template variables, add those variables to the template.
11. Save the template.
12. Open the TEXTML Administration perspective and connect to the server.
13. Navigate to /system/templates/maps.
14. Navigate to a subfolder such as web or desktop to differentiate between templates used for the IXIASOFT CCMS and CCMS Web.
    If the subfolders do not exist, you can create them by right-clicking the maps folder and selecting Create Collection.
15. Right-click the maps collection and select Insert Documents.
    The Insert Documents Dialog appears.
16. Click Add File and browse to your desktop.
    1. Select the file.
    2. Right-click the file and rename it (for example, ProductATemplate.ditamap); press Enter.
    3. Click Open.
    The file path and name appear under Import As.

    
    

    

    
    

17. Click OK.
    The file is imported into the /templates/maps collection.
18. Inform users of the changes and request that they close and reopen their CCMS Desktop to apply the changes.