Working Group for Generic Task Type

This page contain working material from the Generic Task Type Workgroup.

Current members:

All are welcome to participate and contribute to this page.

Workgroup Conference Call, 16 August 2007

On August 16, 2007, the members of the working group and DITA TC Chair Don Day conducted a conference call about approaches to generalizing the DITA task information type. The following is a summary of the discussion.

The task type appears to be more rigorously designed that the concept or reference types. The task type tends to be problematic in general implementations, and many DITA adopters resist the task content model. The required cmd element in step is particularly constraining. Furthermore, the current task model does not meet requirements of the machine industry, specifically to allow admonishments to be associated with a particular step.

The workgroup is considering two approaches to creating a general task type:

The workgroup feels that the former is likely to cause confusion among DITA adopters. The distinction between task and the new more general task will be difficult to clearly delineate for adopters. The workgroup currently favors loosening the current task information model, probably to make cmd optional and to allow additional content before cmd.

Input from Machine Industry Subcommittee

Courtesy of Chris Kravogal.

We have uploaded two proposals regarding task types:

12039 note in step
http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/dita-machine-industry/document.php?document_id=22750

12040 Machine Industry Task type
http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/dita-machine-industry/document.php?document_id=21926

12039
The note in step is a siple proposal with the goal to add <note> in front <cmd> in any step or substep element, regardless if it is in the current task type, in a generic task type or in the Machine Industry task type. (that proposal has been merged into the 12011 proposal.

12040
Currently we are developing the DTD (mitask.mod) file. It should be ready as a draft version within this month. The DITA Machine Industry Task is based on the S1000D standard and followes a bit a different structure as the DITA 1.0/1.1 task.

The main structure of the mitaskbody is prelreq, mainfunc, closereqs And e.g. the structure of prelreq is: reqconds, reqpers, supequip, supplies, spares, safety.

Within the mainfunc (Maintenance Function) you will find the steps. For the steps we may stay at the content model of the DITA 1.0/1.1 task and not following the S1000D.

Update from Machine Industry Subcommittee

Meeting from Sept. 18:

A first sample DTD incl. a sample xml file have been uploaded: http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/dita-machine-industry/members/upload.php

Two main discussion points:

  1. Most elements have been derived from the S1000D standard. The open question is, if we are going to restrict the detailed content model like it is used in S1000D or to keep the content model open as in the base element from DITA.
  2. Open discussion regarding how the new MItask elements should be integrated into the DITA 1.2 standard: as domain specialization, as update of the task.mod, or as a new task type derived from topic

Meeting from Sept. 25:

A first sample DTD incl. a sample xml file have been uploaded: http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/dita-machine-industry/members/upload.php

Closed items:

  1. Content model of prelreq/prereq and closereq/postreq has been aporved and accepted by the team
  2. Instead of the S1000D mainfunc element, the DITA steps/steps-unordered element will be used

Open items:

  1. In the detailed content model (lowest level in hierarchy) or the sample dtd we have used the content model of the base elements used for the specialization. Open question, can we go ahead with this open content model or should we restrict the detailed content model like it is used in S1000D.
  2. Open discussion regarding how the new MItask elements should be integrated into the DITA 1.2 task: as domain specialization, as update of the task.mod, or as a new task type derived from topic
  3. Are there any S1000D elements that may influence the deeper content model of step
  4. Further requirements from outside the S1000D standard regarding machine industry task types

Meeting from Oct. 16:

Closed items:

  1. Content model of prelreq/prereq and closereq/postreq has been apporved and accepted by the team
  2. Instead of the S1000D mainfunc element, the DITA steps/steps-unordered element will be used
  3. As detailed content model (lowest level in hierarchy) the open dita content model will be used (listitem.cnt) instead of the more restrictive S1000D content model.

Open items for DITA 1.2:

  1. Open discussion regarding how the new MItask elements should be integrated into the DITA 1.2 task: as domain specialization, as update of the task.mod, or as a new task type derived from topic. Decission: discussion to me moved to the DITA-TC

Open items for DITA 1.3

  1. Are there any S1000D elements that may influence the deeper content model of step
  2. Further requirements from outside the S1000D standard regarding machine industry task types

Working Group for Generic Task Type (last edited 2007-11-06 14:56:00 by seicodyne)