Metadata inheritance between maps and topics

The topicmeta element in maps contains numerous elements for the declaration of metadata. In general, specifying metadata in a topicmeta element is equivalent to specifying it in the topic, while allowing that topic to be reused in other maps where the metadata does not apply. Many items in the metadata also cascade to nested topic references within the map.

For each element in the topicmeta, the following table provides three different behaviors.

• How does it apply to the topic? This describes how the metadata in a topicref interacts with the specified topic. In most cases, the properties are additive, within the current context. For example, when an audience is set to "user" within a topicref, this means that the audience for the specified topic is "user" when viewed within this context. This is in addition to any audience values specified within the topic, and does not apply to the topic when it is viewed in other contexts.
• Does it cascade to other topics in the map? This indicates whether the specified meta value cascades to nested topicrefs. For example, setting an audience to "user" implicitly means that other topicrefs within that branch of the map also have an audience of "user". Elements like linktext, which can apply only to the specified target, do not cascade.
• What is the purpose when specified at the map level? The map element allows for metadata to be specified for the entire map. This column describes what effect, if any, each element has when specified at this level.

Parent topic: Topic properties in topics and maps
Related concepts Inheritance of attributes and metadata in maps