Four Basic DITA Elements in Adobe FrameMaker – Topic, Concept, Task, Reference

There are four basic DITA elements that you can create easily in Adobe FrameMaker 12:

Topic
Concept
Task
Reference

Topic

A topic consists of a single self-contained subject matter. When created through the DITA > New DITA File menu option, a FrameMaker DITA topic looks like this:

NOTE: To view the tags, select View > Element Boundaries (as Tags) from the main menu.

Concept

The concept element (which is nothing more than a specialized topic) answers the question “What is X?” in its general outlines. A concept includes background information that one needs to have before starting to do something. It also includes both the FEATURES and the BENEFITS of a system, product, service, etc. When created through the DITA > New DITA File menu option, a FrameMaker concept topic looks like this:

Task

The task element (which is nothing more than a specialized topic) describes how a procedural task can be accomplished by following a list of step-by-step instructions. When created through the DITA > New DITA File menu option, a FrameMaker task topic looks like this:

Reference

The reference element (which is nothing more than a specialized topic) includes all the reference information and facts related to a topic. When created through the DITA > New DITA File menu option, a FrameMaker reference topic looks like this:

A reference element should not include any detailed steps describing how to accomplish a certain task or any general background information about the subject matter in question.