Conref'ed <link> elements - cannot get them to work (LCA 2014)

I have a user who wants to build a <related-links> section by using conrefs that point to a library topic file of predetermined link elements.

Nothing I have tried will get Arbortext to make a link element "selectable" in the conref inserter dialog -- even when I am certain that I am in the correct context.

I don't know if this is an Arbortext issue or an authoring bridge issue (I suspect the latter). 

I can get the conref inserted properly by manually editing link elements in the related-links section, having to resort to "edit XML source."

Has anyone else struggled with the authoring bridge for Arbortext not playing nice with conrefs on some elements or in some contexts?

I have done testing on some standalone files (not LCA CCMS) and Oxygen XML Editor, and what I am trying to do in Arbortext (conref a <link> element) works fine in Oxygen. Nothing in the DITA 1.2 Specification suggests that conrefs can't be used in this way.

Thanks in advance for any relevant feedback!

-Jay Baldwin

[Using LCA 2014 SP3, Arbortext 6 authoring bridge]

  • Hi Jay. I'm not an Arbortext user, but I agree this should work. Can you verify that your conref target (that is, the link elements) have ID attributes? Some of the authoring tools will automatically generate IDs when you create, save, or check-in a topic for some elements. There are typically some settings that control this behavior, but you can also just manually add them (e.g., id="LINK_TARGET1"). The authoring bridge won't show a target as selectable unless it has an ID, even if it is otherwise a valid element in your context.
  • Here's the test topic I created to hold the conref targets. Not all elements have IDs (we were experimenting a lot), but the one I'm focusing on for my test is the last <link> element with the ID "SEATCONTROLS-75F44A46". This is the target I'm trying to conref.

     

    Screenshot of Trados Studio showing XML code with a focus on the last link element with ID 'SEATCONTROLS-75F44A46' intended for conref targeting.

    emoji


    Generated Image Alt-Text
    [edited by: Trados AI at 6:30 AM (GMT 0) on 5 Mar 2024]
  • And here is the topic in which I am trying to create the conref. I eventually got it created (what you see below is valid) through very manual editing (i.e. edit XML source). I check out this topic from Pub Mgr. It opens in Arbortext 6.0. I go to insert markup (<link> element), and select conref from the Arbortext modify attributes dialog. I am not able to select the target from the other topic in that conref dialog.

    Screenshot of Trados Studio showing XML source code with conref elements and related links for a Windshield Wipers topic in a draft status, last modified by Admin.

    emoji


    Generated Image Alt-Text
    [edited by: Trados AI at 6:30 AM (GMT 0) on 5 Mar 2024]
  • This screencap is a hot mess, but basically:

    [upperleft] Arbortext 6.0 Editor showing checked-out topic where I am adding a link element, then

    [lowerleft] Arbortext modify atts dialog where I select conref [...], which launches

    [upperright] LCA insert conref browser, where I select a topic and click the [...] button, which launches

    [lowerright] LCA "select" dialog (all elements with an ID)

    Here is where any elements "in context" should display a gray background, but none do.

    [lowerright] LCA "locate" pops up with this when I click "Seat Controls" anyway.

     

    Arbortext 6.0 Editor with a checked-out topic for adding a link element, showing the XML structure and content editing area.

    emoji


    Generated Image Alt-Text
    [edited by: Trados AI at 6:31 AM (GMT 0) on 5 Mar 2024]