30.1.3 Understanding how templates are chained together

Configuration templates are chained together in a series, each accessing all the settings in the next, plus all the settings in all other templates farther up the chain. If a given setting appears in more than one template in a chain, the instance of that setting closest to your project configuration file takes precedence over any that are farther away.

Table 30-1 Output-type-specific general configuration files

Output type	Project configuration file	Editable local configuration file
DITA	_m2dita.ini	local_m2dita_config.ini
DocBook	_m2docbook.ini	local_m2docbook_config.ini
Eclipse Help	_m2eclipse.ini	local_m2eclipse_config.ini
HTML	_m2html.ini	local_m2html_config.ini
MS HTML Help	_m2htmlhelp.ini	local_m2htmlhelp_config.ini
JavaHelp	_m2javahelp.ini	local_m2javahelp_config.ini
OmniHelp	_m2omnihelp.ini	local_m2omnihelp_config.ini
Oracle Help	_m2oraclehelp.ini	local_m2oraclehelp_config.ini
WinHelp	_m2winhelp.ini	local_m2winhelp_config.ini
MS Word	_m2rtf.ini	local_m2rtf_config.ini
XHTML	_m2xhtml.ini	local_m2xhtml_config.ini

Each project configuration file references an output-type-specific local configuration file. This editable local configuration file in turn references its system counterpart, which references the next editable local configuration file in the chain, and so forth.

For example, the MS Word starting project configuration file _m2rtf.ini references this chain of general configuration templates and files:

_m2rtf.ini ->

  local_m2rtf_config.ini-> m2rtf_config.ini ->

    local_m2g_config.ini -> m2g_config.ini ->

      local_omsys.ini -> omsys.ini

The HTML starting project configuration file references this chain:

_m2html.ini ->

  local_m2htm_config.ini -> m2htm_config.ini ->

    local_m2g_config.ini -> m2g_config.ini ->

      local_omsys.ini -> omsys.ini

Some chains are longer. For example, for OmniHelp output, the chain looks like this:

_m2omnihelp.ini ->

  local_m2omnihelp_config.ini -> m2omnihelp_config.ini ->

    local_m2help_config.ini -> m2help_config.ini ->

      local_m2htm_config.ini -> m2htm_config.ini ->

        local_m2g_config.ini -> m2g_config.ini ->

          local_omsys.ini -> omsys.ini

All general configuration chains go through either m2htm_config.ini (for HTML or XML output) or m2rtf_config.ini (for Word or WinHelp output). These two configuration templates reference the macro configuration files and templates, through side chains. Therefore, as long as your project configuration file references one of the output-specific configuration files, you do not have to include settings in your project configuration file to reference those other files.

See also:

§30.1.4 Understanding how macro libraries are organized

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