Validating out of scope links in a map

You can validate out of scope links in a map on-demand at any time, or you can validate them automatically when you move the map from a designated status to another designated status.

What is an out of scope link?

An out of scope link is a cross-reference or related link from a topic in a map to another topic that is not in the map.

For example, consider the following map and submaps:

MapA
    TopicX
    SubmapB
        TopicY  xref--> TopicX
    SubmapC
        TopicZ  xref →TopicY

In this scenario, a check on MapA does not turn up any out of scope links. A check on just SubmapB turns up TopicY's xref to TopicX as out of scope. A check on just SubmapC turns up TopicZ's xref to TopicY as out of scope.

Out of scope links can result in missing content or broken links in outputs and localization kits, so it's important to identify and resolve them.

The presence of out of scope links does not prevent you from checking in a map, moving it to another status, or localizing it. Some out of scope links are intentional—for example, conditionalized cross-references. If appropriate, you can ignore these links and continue your work.

Validate out of scope links on demand

You can check a map for out of scope links at any time while you are working.

Select the Validate Links option from the map's More Options menu.
The Validate Links dialog appears, listing any out of scope links in the map's dependencies. If there are no out of scope links, the message "No out of scope links found" appears onscreen.
If necessary, open the topics to review and resolve the out of scope links.
If an out of scope link is intentional and does not require resolution, you can ignore it.

Validate out of scope links automatically

CCMS Web can be configured to check a map for out of scope links when you move it from one status to another—for example, when you move it from Authoring:review to Authoring:approved.

If this trigger has been configured, the Validate Links dialog automatically appears when you perform the Move. If there are no out of scope links, the message "No out of scope links found" appears onscreen.

If necessary, open the topics to review and resolve the out of scope links.

If an out of scope link is intentional and does not require resolution, you can ignore it.