page breaks between topics

[gcrews]

Forgive me for asking this specific question that’s probably been covered before but I can’t figure this out.  How do I remove the page breaks between topics in pdf output? I’ve been poking all around in the xslt’s and customization files and stuff for the last half hour, but with no luck. Thinking about it, there has got to be some simple way to remove them.  When you’re creating a book map for a physical book you would not want 20 topics that make up a chapter to be on individual pages.  Am I missing some DITA tagging to put topics together without page breaks between them?  OR is a chapter in a book usually just made up one on topic page?

[Derek Read]

I can't reproduce this with XMetaL Author Enterprise 6.0 using the "XMetaL Enhanced PDF via RenderX XEP" deliverable type.

Which version of XMetaL Author Enterprise are you running?
Which "deliverable type" are you using to produce your PDF?
Has the XSLT/XSL-FO been modified in a way that might alter this behavior?

It is possible that this has something to do with the map/topics you are using to produce the output, but the simplest test to see if you see the same thing as me (eliminating your files from the equation for the moment) would be to open the following sample map from the Help menu (which is a bookmap) and generate output using the "XMetaL Enhanced PDF via RenderX XEP" deliverable type:

Help > Samples > Evaluation Guide (DITA)

You should end up with a document containing 5 chapters that each have several topics within them (as well as some topics before and after those chapters plus the TOC, Index, etc). None of the topics within the chapters should have forced page breaks between them while the chapters themselves always begin on a new page.

[gcrews]

I tried the Evaluation Guide and low and behold there were no page breaks between the topics.  Turns out if you have a chapter tag but with no topic associated with it puts the sub topics on separate book pages.
Thank you for your help, I Knew there must have been some DITA element I was missing.

[IF]

I have a related issue. I am using a DITA map not a DITA bookmap. All topics start on separate pages in the PDF file. Is there a way to change this so that a new topic does not trigger a page break other than using a DITA bookmap and the chapter tag as described above ?

Using XMetal 6.0 on Windows 7. Deliverable type is XMetal Enhanced PDF via RenderX XEP

[gcrews]

Are you using topichead or topicgroup by any chance?

[IF]

No - This is my simple map:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE map PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DITA Map//EN" "map.dtd">
<!-- Created with XMetaL (http://www.xmetal.com) -->
<map id="map_FBCD272802344C1A9C99F6CB87DB1B2B"><title>Map_1</title>
<topicref format="dita" href="t_task1.xml" scope="local" navtitle="Task 1" type="task">
</topicref>
<topicref format="dita" href="t_task2.xml" scope="local" navtitle="Task 2" type="task">
</topicref>
<topicref format="dita" href="c_concept1.xml" scope="local" navtitle="concept 1" type="concept">
</topicref>
<topicref format="dita" href="c_concept2.xml" scope="local" navtitle="concept 2" type="concept">
</topicref>
</map>

[gcrews]

I think it’s doing that because they are all on the main level. If you have a main topicref with everything below that there are no breaks.

[IF]

You're right. I inserted my topics below a main topic and that solved the problem.
BTW, using a topic heading or a topic group did not get rid of the page breaks.
Thanks for the help.

[IF]

The template modifications described here work well: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/dita-users/message/21935 (How to remove page breaks after level-1 topic in the output pdf )