DITA keys in Flare

[matt_redpath]

Hi folks,

I've used Flare with great satisfaction in previous jobs, so was keen to trial it in my current job. I'm quite familiar with the product, but am facing an unfamiliar challenge: this job also requires me to use oXygen XML Editor.

I have tried to import some of our DITA projects into Flare, but am having mixed results.

My biggest headache is that I don't understand how Flare imports key definitions, keywords and the like.

In oXygen, we have ditamaps that contain nothing but key definitions. For example, the ditamap containing the keys for "Product One" contains lines like this:

<keydef keys="Product">
<topicmeta>
<keywords><keyword>Product One</keyword></keywords>
</topicmeta>
</keydef>

<keydef keys="Version">
<topicmeta>
<keywords><keyword>1.0</keyword></keywords>
</topicmeta>
</keydef>

In my mind, these are just what Flare would call variables: "Product One" should be a definition of a "Product" variable, and "1.0" should be a definition of a "Version" variable.

However, because they're stored in a ditamap, Flare imports them as tables of contents. Because they don't link to anything, I end up with one unlinked book per key definition and no variables.

In oXygen, a topic that references those definitions might include something like this:

<shortdesc>
<keyword keyref="Product"/>
</shortdesc>

When that topic appears in the same ditamap as the one above, this would be output as "Product One".

However, Flare imports those topics like this:

<MadCap:keyword>Product One</MadCap:keyword>

And nothing is visible in the output! The (questionable) code is there, but it just appears blank in the XML editor and any form of output...

Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone know why it happens? Can anyone point me toward a resource that explains how Flare imports dita keys?

Many thanks in advance!

Matt

[JeromeR]

Hi Matt,

I sure would love to know the answer to your question from a year ago.

Maybe you have figured it out since then?

If you have the/an answer to your question, please take a moment to post it, because that would be a great help to me.

-=- Jerome