Error: topicref not allowed in container

[kwag_myers]

I'm getting this dialog box every time I switch a ditamap from the Resource Manager to XML view:

“Rules checking cannot be turned on:
The element topicref is not allowed at this point in its container bookmap.”

When I save the map I get another warning about the document not being valid and a series of entries in the Results pane that say:

“Invalid tag name, topicref is not allowed at this point in its container booklists”
“Invalid tag name, topicref is not allowed at this point in its container bookmap”

At first I thought it might have something to do with having too many layers in my map, but that doesn't seem to be the case as I've tested this theory.

Because of the nature of current project (highly competitive) I'm a little reluctant to post a file, or even a screen shot. I used the Resource Manager to build my maps, so I'm not sure how this happened. Any ideas?

Reply

[Su-Laine Yeo]

The map editor pane in the Resource Manager will let you insert elements in invalid locations in Bookmaps and other types of specialized maps. The XML view, however, will do validation checking whenever it is used to display any type of map. That's why the timing of messages coincides to when you switch views.

Bookmap is a complex structure. Having lots of layers won't be a problem, but having too few layers actually could be. If you look at the DITA Language Reference (http://docs.oasis-open.org/dita/v1.1/OS/langspec/ditaref-type.html), you'll see that the list of elements that can be contained in the element (http://docs.oasis-open.org/dita/v1.1/OS/langspec/langref/booklists.html) does not include . The list of elements that can be contained in the element also does not include .

The easiest way to make sure your bookmaps are always valid is to always use the XML view when editing bookmaps. You can turn off the option to edit bookmaps in the Resource Manager by in DITA Options (click Tools > DITA Options, and then click the Map Editor tab).

Regards,
Su-Laine

Reply

[kwag_myers]

Thanks. I conducted some more tests and discovered two issues with my maps.

First, I had replaced the Glossary folder () with a topic to eliminate the Glossary>Glossary structure in the TOC. Once I inserted my Glossary topic as a chapter that problem was solved.

Second, I had no chapters, only topics. So, I replaced the first level topics with chapters to resolve that issue.

XML view for maps…got it!

O.T., I watched you WebEx on Conditional Text the other day and it was very helpful. So, thanks for that, too.

Reply

[Derek Read]

A Brief History of the Map Editor
(to give you an idea of how it is progressing)

Note: Every version of the product has included support for editing 'regular' DITA maps in the Map Editor.

XMetaL Author 4.6 DITA Edition (an add-on for XMetaL Author):
Our first release to include DITA support included the Map Editor (embedded in the Resource Manager) but only supported viewing and editing regular DITA maps. Bookmap did not exist so it was not even considered.

XMetaL Author Enterprise 5.0:
Bookmap was beginning to appear at this time as people began contemplating moving to DITA 1.1. XMetaL Author Enterprise 5.0 did not support it however as there was no demand.

XMetaL Author Enterprise 5.0 SP1:
This is the first edition to include support for viewing bookmaps in the Map Editor as read only content. Bookmap editing was supported in the “XML view” (Tags On, Normal and of course Plain Text).

This allowed bookmaps to be opened in the Map Editor and used as a navigation aid for locating and opening topics. This was a common demand from larger organizations where the majority of people only edit topics and never or rarely modify maps. Those people that needed to create and modify maps (a specialized role) could do so in “XML view” (Tags On view primarily) or in some cases they use another tool (often an integral part of their CMS system).

At this point the feature was considered a “preview” as enabling DITA 1.1 required one additional configuration step after installing the product.

XMetaL Author Enterprise 5.1:
The feature was improved (mostly bug fixes) but remained largely the same. The main difference with 5.1 was that it was the first release we shipped to enable DITA 1.1 editing out of the box (with the option to use DITA 1.0 if desired). This meant that no additional configuration step was needed to enable the viewing of bookmaps for navigation and it was no longer considered a “preview” feature.

XMetaL Author Enterprise 5.5:
More improvements were made but the Map Editor still only supported bookmaps for navigational purposes in this release. Improvements included support for CMS integrations based on XMetaL Connector which would allow people to open topics from a CMS from within the Map Editor.

XMetaL Author Enterprise 6.0:
The first release to support editing of bookmaps and specialized maps in the Map Editor. However, validation (aka: “Rules Checking”) is not performed and it is possible to insert elements in the wrong place, or leave out required elements. This means you must be aware of the valid structure of bookmaps (or your own specialized map) when using the Map Editor.

See the warnings in the Tools > DITA Options dialog on the Map Editor tab related to enabling the editing of bookmaps and specialized maps: “…allow editing bookmaps and other specialized maps in the Map Editor pane only if you know the rules for these structures well enough to not make them valid”.

Future Plans (7.0?):
In the future we plan to make the Map Editor a validating editor similar to Tags On view. The primary goal of this new functionality would be to stop you from putting elements in the wrong place and creating an invalid map structure. Ideally this functionality will be included with our next release (probably numbered 7.0).

Information above gleaned from readme files: http://forums.xmetal.com/index.php/topic,108.0.html

Reply

[Author]

Posts