DITA is a well-known concept in the technical communication world. It is a form of computer language used to develop technical content with a focus on reusability. 

What is DITA?

DITA stands for Darwin Information Typing Architecture. It is named after Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution. Evolution plays an important role in DITA. The content created in DITA can evolve into multiple forms and formats depending on the needs and requirements. “Information Typing” refers to the methodology used in DITA where each topic has a type – it’s categorized – which then defines its structure. Architecture refers to the mapping of these topics in order to create seamless, coherent, and meaningful documents.

DITA is an “XML-based, end-to-end architecture for authoring, producing, and delivering readable information as discrete, typed topics.” (DITA FAQs by OASIS) 

What is structured authoring?

Structured authoring refers to a practice of writing within the constraints of pre-defined rules and structures using XML (eXtensible Markup Language). In a structured authoring environment, writers create content in pieces, as opposed to linear writing we all normally use. 

What does that look like? Let’s say, a procedure contains a concept overview, step-by-step instructions, and references for more information. In normal writing, also called narrative writing, a writer would jot down all the information in one document. However, in structured authoring, the writer creates three pieces of information – one for concept, task, and reference each. These pieces are then arranged in a table of content in a meaningful manner to generate the final document.

Why create documents in pieces if we’re going to ultimately publish it together? Content in a structured authoring environment is created in pieces to facilitate its reuse – to avoid manual duplication of content and to create multiple documents by rearranging the same content in different ways. Read more about structured authoring.

History of DITA

DITA was developed by technical communicators at IBM in 2005. IBM was already using a content architecture called IBMIDDoc to publish their help content. This architecture was based on SGML (Standard Generalised Markup Language). They used their knowledge of SGML to build an XML-based documentation standard, which was easier to use than its SGML predecessor. 

DITA became widely known in 2003 after its developers Don Day, Michael Priestly, and Dave Schell presented it at the Society of Technical Communication conference. In April 2004, the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) formed a Technical Committee to explore a DITA Standard. In 2005, IBM donated DITA to OASIS, who since then is responsible for managing the standard. (History of DITA) 

Important concepts in DITA

DITA is based on content reuse. As such, following are main concepts in DITA:

One topic one idea

Since DITA is used for structured authoring, content in DITA is created in topics. Each topic describes one idea – explain one concept or detail one task. By creating separate topics for each idea, the content can be reused to produce multiple products.  

Building blocks of DITA

There are three main topic types in DITA:

1. Concept: Concept topics explain a concept or an idea. For example, an air fryer manual might contain a topic explaining how the air fryer works. This is not a procedure describing how to fry your fries. But it explains the operating principle behind the machine.
2. Task: These are how-to topics, providing step-by-step instructions for performing a task. These topics tell you how to actually fry something in an air fryer. These are actionable steps that you need to follow in order to get crunchy end results.
3. Reference: Reference topics are extra information that users will find useful but it is not part of the task itself. For example, a table explaining what each symbol on the air fryer screen means. You can still fry nuggets without knowing all the symbols. However, if the fryer throws an error, you can refer to this table and figure out the problem. 

Each topic type has its own structure. For example, a task topic might include a short description, followed by steps and a screenshot. A concept topic might include an overview and a diagram. A reference topic might include tables or bullet lists. 

DITA maps

Since content is created in individual topics, DITA maps are crucial to generate meaningful outputs from those topics. Maps resemble a table of content that arranges all building blocks. 

“DITA maps are documents that organize topics and other resources into structured collections of information. DITA maps specify hierarchy and the relationships among the topics; they also provide the context in which keys are defined and resolved.” (Definition of DITA maps by OASIS)

Tools based on DITA XML

There are many content authoring tools available in the market that are based on DITA XML. DITA Open Toolkit is an open source project developed and maintained by a group of volunteers. You can download it for free at DITA Open Toolkit. Other popular but paid tools include Adobe Framemaker, Oxygen XML Editor, and Xmetal XML Editor.

DITA aims to simplify the process of content creation by facilitating content reuse and allowing the flexibility to create multiple outputs using the same content.