Configuring conditional attributes and values

If your organization has a master list of conditional attributes and values that you want to enforce the use of, you can re-create this same list in the CCMS.

The conditional attributes and values that you configure in conditionaltext.xml are available in

CCMS Desktop:

  • Edit Profiling Attributes dialog box when editing topics in Oxygen XML
  • Set Conditions dialog box when adding conditions to map elements in DITA Map view
  • Create Ditaval dialog box when creating ditavals in Ditaval view

CCMS Web:

  • Edit Profiling Attributes dialog box when editing topics in Oxygen Web Author

conditionaltext.xml and subjectSchemes

The master list of conditional attributes and values in conditionaltext.xml acts like a system-wide subjectScheme. It is as if these same attributes and values were in a subjectScheme map that is referenced from every other map in the CCMS.

This means that there is an interaction between the attributes defined in conditionaltext.xml and those defined in actual subjectScheme maps.

Because the referenced subjectScheme is more specific to the map, attributes and values defined there take precedence over conditionaltext.xml.

The attributes defined in conditionaltext.xml and a referenced subjectScheme are merged. For example if conditionaltext.xml defines the @product and @platform attributes and a referenced subjectScheme defines the @audience attribute, then all three attributes are available in the dialog boxes.

However, the values for the attributes are not merged. Their interaction is as follows:

  • If an attribute is defined only in the subjectScheme, present only those values for the attribute in the dialog boxes.
  • If an attribute is defined only in conditionaltext.xml, present only those values for the attribute in the dialog boxes.
  • If an attribute is defined in both, present only the values enumerated in the subjectScheme in the dialog boxes.

    That is, if conditionaltext.xml defines the values Widget and Gadget for the @product attribute and a referenced subjectScheme defines the values Thingy and Whatsit for the @product attribute, only the values Thingy and Whatsit are available in the dialog boxes.