Common attributes

The common attributes topic collects defines most of the attributes that are used on more than one base element.

Common attribute groups

The following groups are referenced in this specification, and they are also used in grammar files when defining attributes for elements.

Architectural attributes: This group includes a set of attributes that are defined for document-level elements such as <topic> and <map>: @DITAArchVersion, @specializations, and @xmlns:ditaarch.
Common map attributes: This group includes attributes that are frequently used on map elements: @cascade, @chunk, @collection-type, @keyscope, @linking, @processing-role, @search, @toc, and @subjectrefs.
Complex table attributes: This group includes attributes that are defined on table elements but not simple table elements. These attributes are part of the OASIS Exchange Table Model, unless otherwise noted. Table elements generally use only a subset of the attributes that are defined in this group. This group contains the following attributes: @align, @char, @charoff, @colsep, @rowheader, @rowsep, and @valign.
Data-element attributes: Includes attributes defined on <data> and its many specializations: @datatype, @name, and @value
Date attributes: Includes attributes that take date values, and are defined on metadata elements that work with date information: @expiry and @golive
Display attributes: This group includes attributes that affect the rendering of many elements: @expanse, @frame, and @scale.
Inclusion attributes: Includes attributes defined on <include> and its specializations: @encoding and @parse.
Link-relationship attributes: This group includes attributes whose values can be used for representing navigational relationships: @format, @href, @type, and @scope.
Simple table attributes: Draft comment: Kristen J Eberlein 29 December 2021

If I have jumped to this place in a document from the element-reference topic, I want the attributes listed here in the "Simple table group" to be hyperlinked to the actual definition.

Draft comment: robander
TO RESOLVE 13 May 2026: Not following - what updated linking is needed? Should <simpletable> link back to the element, or was there a problem with the links that brought you here?

This group includes attributes that are defined only on the <simpletable> element: @keycol and @relcolwidth. These attributes are listed in a group because the <simpletable> element is frequently used as a specialization base.
Table accessibility attributes: This group contains attributes that are defined on the <stentry> element and its specializations: @headers and @scope (as defined on <stentry>).
Other attributes (not in a group): These are attributes that are used in the same way on more than one base element, but they are not formally grouped together: @compact, @duplicates, @impose-role, @otherrole, @role, and @title-role.

Common attribute definitions

Common attributes, including those in the groups listed above, are defined as follows.

@align (complex table attributes)

Specifies the horizontal alignment of text in table entries. The following values are valid:

left: Indicates left alignment of the text.
right: Indicates right alignment of the text.
center: Indicates center alignment of the text.
justify: Justifies the contents to both the left and the right.
char: Indicates character alignment. The text is aligned with the first occurrence of the character specified by the @char attribute.
-dita-use-conref-target: See Using the -dita-use-conref-target value for more information.

The @align attribute is available on the following table elements: <colspec>, <entry>, and <tgroup>.

@cascade (common map attributes)

Specifies how metadata attributes cascade within a map. The specification defines the following values:

merge: Indicates that the metadata attributes cascade, and that the values of the metadata attributes are additive. This is the processing default for the @cascade attribute.
nomerge: Indicates that the metadata attributes cascade, but that they are not additive for <topicref> elements that specify a different value for a specific metadata attribute. If the cascading value for an attribute is already merged based on multiple ancestor elements, that merged value continues to cascade until a new value is encountered. That is, setting cascade="nomerge" does not undo merging that took place on ancestor elements.

Processors can also define custom, implementation-specific tokens for this attribute.

See Cascading of metadata attributes in a DITA map for more information about how this attribute interacts with metadata attributes.

@char (complex table attributes)

Specifies the alignment character, which is the character that is used for aligning the text in table entries. This attribute applies when align="char". A value of "" (the null string) means there is no aligning character.

For example, if align="char" and char="." are specified, then text in the table entry aligns with the first occurrence of the period within the entry. This might be useful if decimal alignment is required.

The @char attribute is available on the following table elements: <colspec> and <entry>.

@charoff (complex table attributes)

Specifies the horizontal offset of the alignment character that is specified by the @char attribute. The value is a greater-than-zero number that is less than or equal to 100. It represents the percentage of the current column width by which the text is offset to the left of the alignment character.

For example, if align="char", char=".", and charoff="50" are all specified, then text in the table entry is aligned 50% of the distance to the left of the first occurrence of the period character within the table entry.

The @charoff attribute is available on the following table elements: <colspec> and <entry>.

@chunk (common map attributes)

Specifies how a processor should render a map or branch of a map. For example, it can be used to specify that individual topic documents should be rendered as a single document, or that a single document with multiple topics should be rendered as multiple documents.

The following values are valid:

combine: Instructs a processor to combine the referenced source documents for rendering purposes. This is intended for cases where a publishing process normally results in a single output artifact for each source XML document.
split: Instructs a processor to split each topic from the referenced source document into its own document for rendering purposes. This is intended for cases where a publishing process normally results in a single output artifact for each source XML document, regardless of how many DITA topics exist within each source document.

Processors can also define custom, implementation-specific tokens for this attribute.

For a detailed description of the @chunk attribute and its usage, see Chunking.

@collection-type (common map attributes)

Specifies how topics or links relate to each other. The processing default is unordered, although no default is specified in the OASIS-provided grammar files. The following values are valid:

unordered

Indicates that the order of the child topics is not significant.

sequence

Indicates that the order of the child topics is significant. Output processors will typically link between them in order.

choice

Indicates that one of the children should be selected.

family

Indicates a tight grouping in which each of the referenced topics not only relates to the current topic but also relate to each other.

Draft comment: Kristen J Eberlein 28 September 2022

Here is the content from the "DITA map attributes" topic:

@collection-type: The @collection-type attribute specifies how the children of a <topicref> element relate to their parent and to each other. This attribute, which is set on the parent element, typically is used by processors to determine how to generate navigation links in the rendered topics. For example, a @collection-type value of "sequence" indicates that children of the specifying <topicref> element represent an ordered sequence of topics; processors might add numbers to the list of child topics or generate next/previous links for online presentation. This attribute is available in topics on the <linklist> and <linkpool> elements, where it has the same behavior. Where the @collection-type attribute is available on elements that cannot directly contain elements, the behavior of the attribute is undefined.

Draft comment: robander

TO RESOLVE 13 May 2026: Make sure nothing here conflicts, and add a link from this to the architectural section

Draft comment: Kristen J Eberlein 28 September 2022

In the definitions of the supported values, do we want to refer to "resources" instead of "topics"? Since we specify that @collection-type specifies "how topics or links relate to each other" ...

Draft comment: robander

TO RESOLVE 13 May 2026: Good point, no strong feeling, but we should be consistent here, we already use "topics", "child topics", "children", and "referenced topics". Maybe:

Start with "Specifies how child topic references or links within the current element relate to each other"? Since this applies to children and we only sort of say that in the definitions of the tokens
When describing the tokens, maybe use "referenced resources", as in "Indicates that the order of the referenced resources is not significant"

@colsep (complex table attributes)

Specifies whether to render column separators between table entries. The following values are valid: 0 (no separators) and 1 (separators).

The @colsep attribute is available on the following table elements: <colspec>, <entry>, <table>, and <tgroup>.

@compact

Specifies whether the vertical spacing between list items is tightened. The following values are valid: yes, no, and -dita-use-conref-target. Some DITA processors or output formats might not support the @compact attribute.

@datatype (data-element attributes)

Specifies the type of data contained in the @value attribute or within the <data> element. A typical use of @datatype will be the identifying URI for an XML Schema datatype.

@DITAArchVersion (architectural attributes)

Specifies the version of the DITA architecture that is in use. This attribute is in the namespace http://dita.oasis-open.org/architecture/2005/. This attribute is specified in the topic and map modules, and it uses a default value of the current version of DITA. The current default is 2.0.

@duplicates

Specifies whether duplicate links are removed from a group of links. Duplicate links are links that address the same resource using the same properties, such as link text and link role. How duplicate links are determined is processor-specific. The following values are valid:

yes: Specifies that duplicate links are retained.
no: Specifies that duplicate links are removed.
-dita-use-conref-target: See Using the -dita-use-conref-target value for more information.

The suggested processing default is yes within <linklist> elements and no for other links.

Draft comment: robander Dec 28 2021

"How duplicate links are determined is processor-specific" ==> this should be included in any updates to standardize language around "implementation dependent".

Draft comment: robander

TO RESOLVE 13 May 2026: Ugh, we still need to do this - a review of the spec for any wording that hits at this, and then make it specific. Maybe a magic robot can help find all instances here.

@encoding (inclusion attributes)

Draft comment: Kristen J Eberlein 29 April 2019

Can we replace "should" in the following definition?

Draft comment: robander

TO RESOLVE 13 May 2026: we can change to "is"

Specifies the character encoding to use when translating the character data from the referenced content. The value should be a valid encoding name. If not specified, processors may make attempts to automatically determine the correct encoding, for example using HTTP headers, through analysis of the binary structure of the referenced data, or the <?xml?> processing instruction when including XML as text. The resource should be treated as UTF-8 if no other encoding information can be determined.

When parse="xml", standard XML parsing rules apply for the detection of character encoding. The necessity and uses of @encoding for non-standard values of @parse are implementation-dependent.

@expanse (display attributes)

Specifies the horizontal placement of the element. The following values are valid:

column: Indicates that the element is aligned with the current column margin.
page: Indicates that the element is placed on the left page margin for left-to-right presentation or the right page margin for right-to-left presentation.
spread: Indicates that the object is rendered across a multi-page spread. If the output format does not have anything that corresponds to spreads, then spread has the same meaning as page.
textline: Indicates that the element is aligned with the left (for left-to-right presentation) or right (for right-to-left presentation) margin of the current text line and takes indentation into account.
-dita-use-conref-target: See Using the -dita-use-conref-target value for more information.

For <table>, in place of the @expanse attribute that is used by other DITA elements, the @pgwide attribute is used in order to conform to the OASIS Exchange Table Model.

Some processors or output formats might not support all values.

@expiry (date attributes)

Specifies the date when the information should be retired or refreshed. The date is specified using the ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DD, where YYYY is the year, MM is the month (01 to 12), and DD is the day (01-31).

@format (link-relationship attributes)

Specifies the format of the resource that is referenced. See TODO: Update link and title to OASIS published URI for detailed information on supported values and processing implications.

@frame (display attributes)

Specifies which portion of a border surrounds the element. The following values are valid:

all: Indicates that a line is rendered at the top, bottom, left, and right of the containing element.

bottom: Indicates that a line is rendered at the bottom of the containing element.

none: Indicates that no lines are rendered.

sides: Indicates that a line is rendered at the left and right of the containing element.

top: Indicates that a line is rendered at the top of the containing element.
topbot: Indicates that a line is rendered at the top and bottom of the containing element.
-dita-use-conref-target: See Using the -dita-use-conref-target value for more information.

Some processors or output formats might not support all values.

@golive (date attributes)

Specifies the publication or general availability (GA) date. The date is specified using the ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DD, where YYYY is the year, MM is the month (01 to 12), and DD is the day (01-31).

@headers

Specifies which entries in the current table provide headers for this cell. The @headers attribute contains an unordered set of unique, space-separated tokens, each of which is an ID reference of an entry from the same table.

@href (link-relationship attributes)

Specifies a reference to a resource. See TODO: Update link and title to OASIS published URI for detailed information on supported values and processing implications.

@impose-role

Specifies whether this element will impose its role on elements in a referenced map. The attribute is ignored if the target of the reference is not a map or branch of a map. The following values are valid:

keeptarget: The role of the current reference is not imposed on the target of the reference. This is the default for the unspecialized <topicref> element and for many convenience elements such as <keydef>.
impose: The role of the current reference is imposed on the target of the reference. For example, if a specialized topic reference <chapter> uses this value and references a map, a topic reference that resolves in place of the <chapter> will be treated as if it were a chapter.
-dita-use-conref-target: See Using the -dita-use-conref-target value for more information.

See TODO: Update link and title to OASIS published URI for detailed information on supported values and processing implications.

@keycol (simpletable attributes)

Specifies the column that contains the content that represents the key to the tabular structure. If @keycol is present and assigned a numerical value, the specified column is treated as a vertical header.

@keyref

Specifies a key name that acts as a redirectable reference based on a key definition within a map. See TODO: Update link and title to OASIS published URI for information on using this attribute.

Draft comment: robander

The definiton above for @keyref should be synchronized with the definition in the linked section on keys.

Draft comment: robander

TO RESOLVE 13 May 2026: Check the topic we link to and make sure this is consistent, then remove the draft comment

@keys

Specifies one or more names for a resource. See TODO: Update link and title to OASIS published URI for information on using this attribute.

@keyscope (common map attributes)

Specifies that the element marks the boundaries of a key scope.

See TODO: Update link and title to OASIS published URI for information on using this attribute.

Draft comment: Kristen J Eberlein 28 September 2022

Here is the content from the "DITA map attributes" topic:

@keyscope: Defines a new scope for key definition and resolution, and gives the scope one or more names. For more information about key scopes, see Indirect key-based addressing.

Draft comment: robander

TO RESOLVE 13 May 2026: Double check each to make sure the latest content is consistent, and remove the draft comment

But also … it might be a good idea to keep this draft comment (and others for the keys/keyref stuff) until after that section is fully reviewed, so that we have an easy way to find these "content should be consistent" issues

@linking (common map attributes)

Specifies linking characteristics of a topic specific to the location of this reference in a map. If the value is not specified locally, the value might cascade from another element in the map (for cascade rules, see Cascading of metadata attributes in a DITA map).

Draft comment: robander Dec 28 2021

The text below matches 1.3 spec text but I'm nervous about "cannot link" type definition. It's describing how to generate links based on the current context in the map - it's not describing what the topic itself is allowed to link to, which is how I interpret "can".

Draft comment: robander

TO RESOLVE 13 May 2026: Yeah we should remove the can/cannot and replace with a description of the intent here... like, targetonly "The topic or resource can be the target of any context based linking, but is not meant to be updated with links related to this context."

similarly, none could be "The topic or resource does not participate in any context-based linking"

The following values are valid:

targetonly: A topic can only be linked to and cannot link to other topics.
sourceonly: A topic cannot be linked to but can link to other topics.
normal: A topic can be linked to and can link to other topics. Use this to override the linking value of a parent topic.
none: A topic cannot be linked to or link to other topics.
-dita-use-conref-target: See Using the -dita-use-conref-target value for more information.

Draft comment: Kristen J Eberlein 28 September 2022

Here is the content from the "DITA map attributes" topic:

@linking

By default, the relationships between the topics that are referenced in a map are reciprocal:

Child topics link to parent topics and vice versa.
Next and previous topics in a sequence link to each other.
Topics in a family link to their sibling topics.
Topics referenced in the table cells of the same row in a relationship table link to each other. A topic referenced within a table cell does not (by default) link to other topics referenced in the same table cell.

This behavior can be modified by using the @linking attribute, which enables an author or information architect to specify how a topic participates in a relationship. The following values are valid:

linking="none": Specifies that the topic does not exist in the map for the purposes of calculating links.
linking="sourceonly": Specifies that the topic will link to its related topics but not vice versa.
linking="targetonly": Specifies that the related topics will link to it but not vice versa.
linking="normal": Default value. It specifies that linking will be reciprocal (the topic will link to related topics, and they will link back to it).

Authors also can create links directly in a topic by using the <xref> or <link> elements, but in most cases map-based linking is preferable, because links in topics create dependencies between topics that can hinder reuse.

Note that while the relationships between the topics that are referenced in a map are reciprocal, the relationships merely imply reciprocal links in generated output that includes links. The rendered navigation links are a function of the presentation style that is determined by the processor.

Draft comment: robander

TO RESOLVE 13 May 2026: Ensure there is nothing conflicting, and add a link from here to the more architectural info that gives all the details

@name (data-element attributes)

Defines a unique name for the object.

Draft comment: robander

Do we need to specify the scope of "unique" here?

Draft comment: robander

TO RESOLVE 13 May 2026: ha, it often won't be unique because you often use the same name for all instances of a specific type of metadata. Maybe we just get rid of "unique"

@otherrole

Specifies an alternate role for a link relationship when the @role attribute is set to other.

@parse (inclusion attributes)

Specifies the processing expectations for the referenced resource. Processors must support the following values:

text

The contents should be treated as plain text. Reserved XML characters should be displayed, and not interpreted as XML markup.

xml

The contents of the referenced resource should be treated as an XML document, and the referenced element should be inserted at the location of the <include> element. If a fragment identifier is included in the address of the content, processors must select the element with the specified ID. If no fragment identifier is included, the root element of the referenced XML document is selected. Any grammar processing should be performed during resolution, such that default attribute values are explicitly populated. Prolog content must be discarded.

It is an error to use parse="xml" anywhere other than within <foreign> or a specialization thereof.

Processors may support other values for the @parse attribute with proprietary processing semantics. Processors should issue warnings and use <fallback> when they encounter unsupported @parse values. Non-standard @parse instructions should be expressed as URIs.

Note (non-normative):

Proprietary @parse values will likely limit the portability and interoperability of DITA content, so should be used with care.

@processing-role (common map attributes)

Specifies whether the referenced resource is processed normally or treated as a resource that is only included in order to resolve references, such as key or content references. The following values are valid:

normal: Indicates that the resource is a readable part of the information set. It is included in navigation and search results. This is the default value for the <topicref> element.
resource-only: Indicates that the resource should be used only for processing purposes. It is not included in navigation or search results, nor is it rendered as a topic. This is the default value for the <keydef> element.

-dita-use-conref-target: See Using the -dita-use-conref-target value for more information.

If no value is specified but the attribute is specified on a containing element within a map or within the related-links section, the value cascades from the closest containing element.

@relcolwidth (simpletable attributes)

Specifies the width of each column in relationship to the width of the other columns. The value is a space-separated list of relative column widths. Each column width is specified as a positive integer or decimal number followed by an asterisk character.

For example, the value relcolwidth="1* 2* 3*" gives a total of 6 units across three columns. The relative widths are 1/6, 2/6, and 3/6 (16.7%, 33.3%, and 50%). Similarly, the value relcolwidth="90* 150*" causes relative widths of 90/240 and 150/240 (37.5% and 62.5%).

@role

Specifies the role that a linked topic plays in relationship with the current topic.

For example, in a parent/child relationship, the role would be parent when the target is the parent of the current topic, and child when the target is the child of the current topic. This can be used to sort and classify links when rendering.

The following values are valid:

ancestor: Indicates a link to a topic above the parent topic.
child: Indicates a link to a direct child such as a directly nested or dependent topic.
cousin: Indicates a link to another topic in the same hierarchy that is not a parent, child, sibling, next, or previous.
descendant: Indicates a link to a topic below a child topic.
friend: Indicates a link to a similar topic that is not necessarily part of the same hierarchy.
next: Indicates a link to the next topic in a sequence.
other: Indicates any other kind of relationship or role. The type of role is specified as the value for the @otherrole attribute.
parent: Indicates a link to a topic that is a parent of the current topic.
previous: Indicates a link to the previous topic in a sequence.
sibling: Indicates a link between two children of the same parent topic.
-dita-use-conref-target: See Using the -dita-use-conref-target value for more information.

@rowheader (complex table attributes)

Specifies whether the entries in the respective column are row headers. The following values are valid:

firstcol: Indicates that entries in the first column of the table are row headers. This applies when the @rowheader attribute is specified on the <table> element.

headers: Indicates that entries of the column that is described using the <colspec> element are row headers. This applies when the @rowheader attribute is specified on the <colspec> element.
norowheader: Indicates that entries in the first column are not row headers. This applies when the @rowheader attribute is specified on the <table> element.
-dita-use-conref-target: See Using the -dita-use-conref-target value for more information.

Note (non-normative):

This attribute is not part of the OASIS Exchange Table Model upon which DITA tables are based. Some processors or output formats might not support all values.

The @rowheader attribute is available on the following table elements: <table> and <colspec>.

@rowsep (complex table attributes)

Specifies whether to render row separators between table entries. The following values are valid: 0 (no separators) and 1 (separators).

The @rowsep attribute is available on the following table elements: <colspec>, <entry>, <row>, <table>, and <tgroup>.

@scale (display attributes)

Specifies the percentage by which fonts are resized in relation to the normal text size. The value of this attribute is a positive integer. When used on <table> or <simpletable>, the following values are valid: 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 140, 160, 180, 200, and -dita-use-conref-target.

This attribute is primarily useful for print-oriented display. Some processors might not support all values.

If the @scale attribute is specified on an element that contains an image, the image is not scaled. The image is scaled only if a scaling property is explicitly specified for the <image> element.

@scope (link-relationship attributes)

Specifies the closeness of the relationship between the current document and the referenced resource. The following values are valid: local, peer, external, and -dita-use-conref-target.

See TODO: Update link and title to OASIS published URI for detailed information on supported values and processing implications.

@scope

Specifies that the current entry is a header for other table entries. The following values are valid:

col: Indicates that the current entry is a header for all cells in the column.
colgroup: Indicates that the current entry is a header for all cells in the columns that are spanned by this entry.
row: Indicates that the current entry is a header for all cells in the row.
rowgroup: Indicates that the current entry is a header for all cells in the rows that are spanned by this entry.
-dita-use-conref-target: See Using the -dita-use-conref-target value for more information.

@search (common map attributes)

Specifies whether the target is available for searching. If the value is not specified locally, the value might cascade from another element in the map (for cascade rules, see Cascading of metadata attributes in a DITA map). The following values are valid: yes, no, and -dita-use-conref-target.

Draft comment: Kristen J Eberlein 28 September 2022

Here is the content from the "DITA map attributes" topic:

@search: Specifies whether the topic is included in search indexes.

Draft comment: robander

TO RESOLVE 13 May 2026: Update to use the same description, these are very similar but not exact. If the description is this short and similar it should be reused with conref.

@specializations (architectural attributes)

Specifies the attribute-domain specializations that are included in the document-type shell. This attribute is set as a default within the document-type shell. The value varies depending on what domains are integrated into the document-type shell. For example, a grammar file that includes the specialized attributes @audience, @deliveryTarget, and @newBaseAtt would set the value to

@props/audience @props/deliveryTarget
                @base/newBaseAtt

@subjectrefs (common map attributes)

Specifies one or more keys that are each defined by a subject definition in a subject scheme map. Multiple values are separated by white space.

@title-role (REQUIRED)

Specifies the role that the alternative title serves. Multiple roles are separated by white space. The following roles are defined in the specification: linking, navigation, search, subtitle, and hint.

Processors can define custom values for the @title-role attribute.

@toc (common map attributes)

Specifies whether a topic appears in the table of contents (TOC) based on the current map context. If the value is not specified locally, the value might cascade from another element in the map (for cascade rules, see Cascading of metadata attributes in a DITA map). The following values are valid:

yes: The topic appears in a generated TOC.
no: The topic does not appear in a generated TOC.
-dita-use-conref-target: See TODO: Update link and title to OASIS published URI for more information.

Draft comment: Kristen J Eberlein 28 September 2022

Here is the content from the "DITA map attributes" topic:

@toc: Specifies whether topics are excluded from navigation output, such as a Web site map or an online table of contents. By default, <topicref> hierarchies are included in navigation output; relationship tables are excluded.

Draft comment: robander

TO RESOLVE 13 May 2026: I read that and kind of hate "web site map". Kind of think we should delete that bit from the other topic, and replace the first sentence there with a reused sentence from here.

@type (link-relationship attributes)

Describes the target of a reference. See TODO: Update link and title to OASIS published URI for detailed information on supported values and processing implications.

@value (data-element attributes)

Specifies a value associated with the current property or element.

@valign (complex table attributes)

Specifies the vertical alignment of text in table entries. The following values are valid:

bottom: Indicates that text is aligned with the bottom of the table entry.
middle: Indicates that text is aligned with the middle of the table entry.
top: Indicates that text is aligned with the top of the table entry.
-dita-use-conref-target: See Using the -dita-use-conref-target value for more information.

The @valign attribute is available on the following table elements: <entry>, <tbody>, <thead>, and <row>.

@xml:space

Specifies how to handle white space in the current element. This attribute is provided on <pre>, <lines>, and on elements specialized from those. It ensures that parsers respect white space that is part of the data in those elements, including line-end characters. When defined, it has a fixed value of preserve, making it a default property of the element that cannot be changed or deleted by authors.

@xmlns:ditaarch (architectural attributes)

Declares the default DITA namespace. This namespace is declared as such in the RNG modules for <topic> and <map>, but it is specified as an attribute in the equivalent DTD-based modules. The value is fixed to http://dita.oasis-open.org/architecture/2005/.