Thank you for a quick and well-informed response.
While I personally prefer to avoid inline links/references in favour of using
"related information" at the end of each topic, I am bound by what my customers
want. And what customers want is often inline references and associated
tooltips.
I therefore request an enhancement to process the <shortdesc> element as a
tooltip when a document set is published to a web format.
It should process the <shortdesc> from individual topics from wherever they are
referenced (topicref, glossref, keyref etc.). Any <shortdesc> inserted as part
of topicmeta in a topicref should override the parent topic description.
(though I cannot immediately think of an example of where I might need this.
Thank you
Vic Steadman
Vic Steadman
Executive Consultant
Mobile: +44 (0) 7940 507304
-----Original Message-----
From: Hussein Shafie <huss...@xmlmind.com>
Sent: 13 September 2018 09:46
To: Vic Steadman <vic.stead...@aspirecl.com>
Cc: 'xmleditor-support@xmlmind.com' <xmleditor-support@xmlmind.com>;
ditac-supp...@xmlmind.com
Subject: Re: [XXE] Use of <shortdesc> element as "tooltips"
On 09/12/2018 05:27 PM, Vic Steadman wrote:
>
> I am using XMLMind XML Editor Professional Edition 8.2.0 to create a
> docmap and topics.
>
>
>
> The Dita specification says that processors MAY choose to display the
> shortdesc element as a tooltip when users hover over a link within web
> output. Please can you let me know the extent of DITAC's
> implementation of tooltips.
>
>
>
> I cannot get the <shortdesc> from my topic files to display as a
> tooltip. I have managed to get tooltips to display for related
> information links created by a RefTable by using the
> <topicref><topicmeta><shortdesc> element.
>
>
>
> I want to be able to create similar tooltips for <term> and/or <xref>
> elements included in the body of my topics but cannot find how to do
> this. (these elements do not have <topicmeta> elements). I have
> tried using keyrefs to link <term> to either concept or glossdef
> topics but this does not display the <shortdesc> from the target
> concept files as a tooltip (glossdef do not have <shortdesc>).
--> Using a keyref is *theoretically* one way to implement what you want
to achieve.
What follows are excerpts from one of our tests.
The "XDR" keydef:
---
<keydef format="html" href="http://www.xmlmind.com/docrep/"; keys="XDR"
scope="external">
<topicmeta>
<linktext>XMLmind Document Repository</linktext>
<shortdesc>XMLmind Document Repository is a <i>web-based</i>
document
store featuring <i>automatic</i>, <i>transparent</i>,
<i>versioning</i>. It is a compromise between the simplicity of a
shared folder and the power of a revision control system (CVS,
Subversion, etc). This compromise between simplicity and power
aims to
be well-adapted to the needs of the technical writer.</shortdesc>
</topicmeta>
</keydef>
</topichead>
---
Using the "XDR" keydef:
---
<strow>
<stentry><ph keyref="XDR"/></stentry>
---
<ph keyref="XDR"/> (could be also <cite>, <keyword>, <dt>, <term>,
<xref>) is preprocessed by ditac (http://www.xmlmind.com/ditac/) and
translated to this intermediate pseudo-DITA representation (contained in
a ".ditac" file):
---
<strow class="- topic/strow ">
<stentry class="- topic/stentry ">
<ph class="- topic/ph " format="html"
href="http://www.xmlmind.com/docrep/"; scope="external"
ditac:absoluteHref="true">XMLmind Document Repository</ph>
</stentry>
---
As you can see it, the <shortdesc> is currently ignored by ditac.
--> Now about term and glossentry.
You could have tried to achieve something close to what you want by
using the <abbreviated-form> element, rather than the <term> element
http://docs.oasis-open.org/dita/dita/v1.3/errata02/os/complete/part2-tech-content/langRef/technicalContent/abbreviated-form.html#abbreviated-form
What follows are excerpts from one of our tests.
The glossentry contained in "STE2.dita":
---
<glossentry id="STE">
<glossterm>Synthetic Training Environment</glossterm>
<glossdef>The glossdef will contain a standard definition.</glossdef>
<glossBody>
<glossSurfaceForm>Synthetic Training Environment
(STE)</glossSurfaceForm>
<glossAlt>
<glossAcronym>STE</glossAcronym>
</glossAlt>
</glossBody>
</glossentry>
---
The keydef (could be a glossref) is:
---
<topicref href="STE2.dita" keys="key_STE2"/>
---
The first occurrence of the abbreviated-form:
---
<conbody>
<p>This is the first paragraph and is where the glossary item
<abbreviated-form keyref="key_STE2"/> is used for the first time
---
is preprocessed by ditac and translated to this intermediate pseudo-DITA
representation:
--
<conbody class="- topic/body concept/conbody ">
<p class="- topic/p ">This is the first paragraph and is where the
glossary item <abbreviated-form
class="+ topic/term abbrev-d/abbreviated-form "
href="STE2.html#STE-2"
ditac:filled="true">Synthetic Training Environment
(STE)</abbreviated-form> is used for the first time
---
Here too, no way to generate a tooltip.
>
> Is what I am trying to do (create hover text for terms and/or xref)
> possible in XMLMind? If it is possible, any advice you can offer on how
> to do it would be appreciated.
>
In a nutshell, the answer is: no, this is currently not possible. Sorry.
However, it should be technically possible to use the <shortdesc> of a
<keydef> to generate a tooltip, and not to simply ignore it as it is the
case now.
If you are really, really interested in this feature, please send us a
Request For Enhancement.
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