Customizing ePub output from DITA OT: Removing Parent topic reference

[Andrei Bondarenko]

Hello, colleagues!

How can I get rid of the link "Parent topic"?. Where do I need to add "args.rellinks"?

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

Can you post a screenshot of the issue?

[Andrei Bondarenko]

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

So you just want to "hide" the reference to Parent topic?

Do you know how to access and change your DITA templates?

[Andrei Bondarenko]

So, as I understand it from your words, FM does not use DITA-OT when it publishes EPUB (File>Publish>Epub)? And to hide the reference to Parent topic I need to customize the DITA-template? I know how to edit the templates but which of them? Is this a standard way to customize publishing outputs?

[Andrei Bondarenko]

So, no one knows how to set "args.rellinks" when publishing to the ePub?

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

Are you using dita open toolkit?

[Andrei Bondarenko]

Yes, I use the DITA-OT that is part of Framemaker 17 setup. Besides, I do not know where else "args.rellinks" is used 🙂

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

You'll likely have better luck with  DITA OT resources. Where are you seeing args.rellinks in your process or in your content?

[Andrei Bondarenko]

Well, let's try to ask a question differently. Forget about "args.rellinks". When I publish an ePub from FrameMaker, I've got what you see in picture. How to get rid of "Prent topic: ..."?

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

Thanks for adding context; I updated the subject line for your post to align with what you're looking for.

I have not used DITA-OT for publishing, so I'll defer to others on how to configure output templates for it. However, I've rarely seen it discussed here, which is why I suggested looking within the DITA-OT community instead.

If you're seeing the parent topic reference (or the args.rellinks info) within your FrameMaker document, structure, or XML views, we can discuss straw man setup and template modifications to get you moving in the right direction.

However, if you don't see that content til the EPUB via DITA-OT, it may be specific to your OT processing.

Have you tried publishing ePub from FrameMaker? I've used the internal Fm Publish engine, having found OT to have more of a learning curve than was practical for my small project. Perhaps using the internal engine is a way to get 'round the things you're running into with OT.

You likely already know this next part, but for others reading this, DITA Open Toolkit isn't "part of" FrameMaker; (per dita-ot.org) it is a vendor-independent, open-source implementation of the DITA standard, released under the Apache License, Version 2.0. The toolkit supports all versions of the OASIS DITA specification, including 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3.

[Andrei Bondarenko]

As I wrote before

>> When I publish an ePub from FrameMaker...
I did exactly what you propose (File > Publish > ePub)

>> Have you tried publishing ePub from FrameMaker?

And what about "fminit\ditafm\DITA-OT":
>> DITA Open Toolkit isn't "part of" FrameMaker

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

You sound frustrated, which I can understand. 

DITA, DITA-OT, and FrameMaker all have their (very separate) idiosynchrasies and they are serious technologies that support massive workflows.

FrameMaker supports editing and publishing of the open DITA standard, but it's not part of FrameMaker. FrameMaker supports processing of DITA via the open DITA-OT software, but it's not part of FrameMaker. 

Providing a path to OT is different than taking ownership for publishing through OT.

You are trying to solve 2 problems with this post, and your responses have been short/clipped, and don't entirely match up. Remember we're all volunteers here trying to help you, and looking at this through your lens.

I asked about DITA-OT because I've not seen references to parent topic in the output nor to args.rellinks before...perhaps it's info specific to the templates used for ePub output.

Let's break this down a bit:

DITA

Can you find references to parent topic or to args.rellinks within your FrameMaker interface or within your raw dita files? If no, then it looks like these references are coming from your publishing templates you need to dig into the templates used by whatever method you publish.

DITA-OT

Have you installed OT on your computer

Are you using Structure > DITA > Generate DITA-OT Output... to produce your output? If not, you misspoke, and you are not using DITA-OT to publish. If so, a good portion of what I wrote never applied.

FrameMaker 2022 (v.17.0.4)

DITA is a newish, changing technology, so Fm's support of it changes rapidly. Since I've not published ePub from DITA, all I can say is that there are templates that control what you see in the published output. Opening and modifying these templates are likely what will eliminate the issues you are facing.

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

Perhaps the better question is What is args.rellinks used for?

Try running this prompt in your favorite friendly AI

what is args.rellinks as it relates to dita

You'll get info on how to set that parameter in DITA-OT

[Andrei Bondarenko]

So, as I understand it from your words, FM does not use DITA-OT when it publishes EPUB (File>Publish>Epub)? And to hide the reference to Parent topic I need to customize the DITA-template? I know how to edit the templates but which of them? Is this a standard way to customize publishing outputs?

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Maybe you need to talk to the FM folks - see https://helpx.adobe.com/contact/enterprise-support.other.html#framemaker for your Adobe Support options. I'd recommend using the tcssup@adobe.com e-mail address as it reaches a team dedicated to Technical Communication Suite products including FrameMaker.