<audience>
The <audience> metadata element indicates, through the value of
its @type attribute, the intended audience for a topic.
Since a topic can have multiple audiences, you can include multiple audience elements. For
each audience you specify, you can identify the high-level task they are trying to
accomplish with the @job attribute, and the level of experience expected
with the @experiencelevel attribute. The
<audience> element can be used to
provide a more detailed definition of values used throughout the map or topic on the
@audience attribute.
Many of the attributes on the <audience> element have enumerated
values, which can be restricted by using constraints or
extended by using associated attributes. For instance, the @othertype
attribute can be used to extend the audience type enumeration.
Content models
See appendix for information about this element in OASIS document type shells.
Inheritance
- topic/audience
Example
For a command reference topic for experienced programmers, the following might be an appropriate indication of that audience:
<audience type="programmer" job="programming" experiencelevel="expert"/>Attributes
The following attributes are available on this element: Universal attribute group and the attributes defined below.
@type- Indicates the kind of person for whom the content of the topic is intended. Note that this differs from the
@typeattribute on many other DITA elements. Beginning with DITA 1.2, values in this attribute are not limited to a small number of choices; the following values were used in DITA 1.0 and DITA 1.1, and are still provided as sample values: user, purchaser, administrator, programmer, executive, services, other, and -dita-use-conref-target. @othertype- Indicates an alternate audience type, when the type is not available in the
@typeattribute value list. This value is used as the user-provided audience when the@typeattribute value is set to "other." @job- Indicates the high-level task the audience for the topic is trying to accomplish. Different audiences might read the same topic in terms of different high-level tasks; for example, an administrator might read the topic while administering, while a programmer might read the same topic while customizing. Beginning with DITA 1.2, values in this attribute are not limited to a small number of choices; the following values were used in DITA 1.0 and DITA 1.1, and are still provided as sample values: installing, customizing, administering, programming, using, maintaining, troubleshooting, evaluating, planning, migrating, other, and -dita-use-conref-target.
@otherjob- If the
@jobattribute value is "other" the value of this attribute is used to identify a kind of job other than the default ones provided by the@jobattribute. @experiencelevel- Indicates the level of experience the audience is assumed to possess. Different audiences might have different experience levels with respect to the same topic; for example, a topic might require general knowledge from a programmer, but expert knowledge from a user. Beginning with DITA 1.2, values in this attribute are not limited to a small number of choices; the following values were used in DITA 1.0 and DITA 1.1, and are still provided as sample values: novice, general, expert, and -dita-use-conref-target.
@name- Used to associate the
<audience>element with values used in the@audienceattribute.