Viewing where an element is used

Last Updated : May 28, 2021 |

About this task

You can find where an element that is set for reuse is being used in the repository. You might need this information to assess the impact if you need to change the content in the reused element, delete the element itself.

For example, you can identify all topics in the repository that reuse a specific product element from the file Common DITA Supporting Content\Product and application names\topics\Product names.

Procedure

  1. Get the ID of the topic that contains the element:
    1. Right-click the topic, select Properties.
    2. Copy the GUID from the Identifier field.
    3. Close the Properties dialog box.
  2. Get the ID of the element:
    1. Check out or open the topic, usually, common topic, that contains the element.
    2. Double-click or select the element that is set for reuse.
    3. In the Attributes window, copy the entire string in the id field.
  3. In the Tridion Docs repository, click the Search tab.
  4. In the Find what field, type conref=<topic GUID>#<topic GUID>/<element ID>.

    For example, conref="GUID-D2F34A51-7BBE-4B11-8A33-93E782075B1C#GUID-D2F34A51-7BBE-4B11-8A33-93E782075B1C/SELECTREQUIREDKEYBOARDTYPE where GUID-D2F34A51-7BBE-4B11-8A33-93E782075B1C is the topic ID and SELECTREQUIREDKEYBOARDTYPE is the element ID.

  5. To restrict the search, use the fields in Advanced options.

    For example, to find instances of the element in content for a particular product, use the Product field to choose your product.

  6. Click Search.

    It might take several minutes for the system to display the search results because the search is done in the entire repository.