# About DITA

Questions in this FAQ list:

Designing Specializations

1. How do I create a specialization?
2. Which element should be the basis for my specialized element?

Processing Specializations

1. How do I format my specialization?
2. What if another DITA user needs to reuse my content but doesn't have my specialization?

Designing Specializations

Question: How do I create a specialization?
Answer: Create a DTD module in which the DTD elements derive from elements in an existing DTD module.
Question: Which element should be the basis for my specialized element?
Answer: You should look for a base element that

1. Has a more general meaning that also applies to your content
2. Can accomodate the substructure of your content.

For example, this specialization is based on the simpletable element, which models information with a repeating substructure.

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Processing Specializations

Question: How do I format my specialization?
Answer: First, consider whether the default formatting for the base elements meets your requirements. If not, create a new XSLT script that imports the base XSLT script and provides the special formatting for your specialized elements.
Question: What if another DITA user needs to reuse my content but doesn't have my specialization?
Answer: DITA provides a built-in generalization process that automatically promotes your specialized elements to the base elements that the other user already has.

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