Create a component branch

You can create a component branch from an existing component and add the branch to a specific component folder. You can choose if the branch maintains all, some, or no content referenced in the source component. If a source component has a long list of references, you can bypass the wait time for the display to load and quickly create a branch. For source components with a shorter list of references, you can display the list of references and customize which specific components are branched.

Tips and tricks

Whenever you save a component by branching, Inspire ensures content that is read from Right-to-Left displays correctly in Oxygen.

For the topic's language, Inspire sets the Reading property in these cases:

If it doesn't exist yet
Only if the language Reading property is rtl (Right-to-Left)
For example: <concept id="concept_guid" xml:lang="ar-Ar" dir="rtl">
Inspire makes no changes if the language Reading property is ltr (Left-to-Right)

Content references to a ditabase topic

Inspire now supports content references to ditabase topics. A ditabase topic is a composite topic. Before maps, ditabase was used to collect multiple topics and structure them within a single topic file.

If you branch a topic and:
- It has a conref to a ditabase topic
- You include all referenced components in that topic

⇒ The ditabase references are branched and valid.

Quickly create a branch

If a source component has a long list of references, you may not want to wait for Inspire to list them all in the List or Hierarchy view. To bypass the wait time for the display to load, you can clear the Show referenced components option.

You may not see all referenced components on the Save as a branch screen.

Components that are referenced in the source component are only listed if:
- You select the Show referenced components option
- It doesn't have a tag applied to it called ExcludeFromBranch. For more details, read Prevent branched references.

To quickly create a branch:

From the top menu, click Components.
In the Folders pane, navigate to the folder where you've saved the component.
In the Components pane, find the component you want to branch.
In the list, to select the row, click it.
Right-click the row, select Save, and then select Save as a branch.
You can also click the Options menu, select Save, and then select Save as a branch.
On the Save as a branch dialog, in the Target Folder list, select the folder where you want to store the component.
By default, the target folder is the same folder where the source component is stored.
Optionally, in the Label text box, enter a unique suffix to append to the source component's name for the branched copy. For example, for a source component named Introduction, you can use a branch label of MarketTest. This creates a branched copy called Introduction_MarketTest.
The branch name (Label text box) is limited to 50 characters. If you exceed this limit, the text box turns red and an error message pops up when you hover your cursor over the field.
The Label you enter appears in Component Details on the Branches tab and the History tab.
By default, the Show referenced components option is not selected. To skip displaying references in the List or Hierarchy view, do not select this option.
Choose where to save the branched copies:
- If you want to create copies of all selected components (source and reference) in the Target Folder, do not select the Keep folder structure option.
  For example:
- If you want to create the copies of all selected components (source and reference) in their current folders, select the Keep folder structure option.
  For example:
Optionally, if you want to save the list of references, above the grid showing referenced components, click Save as CSV.
By default:
- The components are listed in the CSV in the following order:
  - By Sequence ID
  - This means you see the components listed in CSV in the same order as in Hierarchical view.
- The CSV file contains the components.
Click Create.
You see a message that the branch is being created.
If the creation was successful, you see the following message:
You see a message about the branch in the following places:
- Temporary pop-up message in the top right corner of the Inspire screen.
- As a message on the Notifications tab.
- In your email Inbox from Vasont.
- In Slack (if configured).
After you click Create, the branched files are created and named using the following format:
- Component name = ComponentName_LabelName
- Filename name = ComponentName_LabelName_GUID.XML
You can see the new component branch files in the Components browser in the target folder.
- Inspire creates a snapshot record for:
  - The source component where the Action is set to Branch.
  - The copied components that were branched where Action is set to Create, and Process type is set to Branch.
- On the Changesets tab you can search for this history record in the Action and Process Type filters by selecting Branch as an option.
In the Components browser, the branched components have an icon corresponding to their place in the branch.
- Black is the source component for a branch
- Green was branched because a source component referenced it
- Orange is both the source of one branch and included in another branch because a different source component referenced it
If the creation was not successful, you see the following message:

Create a customized branch

You can customize which specific components are branched by allowing Inspire to list all references.

You may not see all referenced components on the Save as a branch screen.

Components that are referenced in the source component you are branching are only listed if:
- You select the Show referenced components option
- It doesn't have a tag applied to it called ExcludeFromBranch

For more details, read Prevent branched references.

From the top menu, click Components.
In the Folders pane, navigate to the folder where you've saved the component.
In the Components pane, find the component you want to branch.
In the list, to select the row, click it.
Right-click the row, select Save, and then select Save as a branch.
You can also click the Options menu, select Save, and then select Save as a branch.
On the Save as a branch dialog, in the Target Folder list, select the folder where you want to store the component.
By default, the target folder is the same folder where the source component is stored.
In the Label text box, enter a unique suffix to append to the source component's name for the branched copy. For example, for a source component named Introduction, you can use a branch name of MarketTest. This creates a branched copy called Introduction_MarketTest.
The branch name (Label text box) is limited to 50 characters. If you exceed this limit, the text box turns red and an error message pops up when you hover your cursor over the field.
The Label you enter appears in Component Details on the Branches tab and the History tab.
To select a customized list of references in the List or Hierarchy view, select Show referenced components.
By default, the Show referenced components option is not selected.
By default, you see references in a hierarchical view.
If you want to work in this view, do any of the following:
1. Only the source component is selected. To branch a component in the list, select its checkbox. To choose all components at once, select the checkbox in the column heading.
  You can't clear the checkbox for the source component. If you don't want to branch the source component, click Cancel, find the source component you want to use, and then select Save as a branch again
2. To help you find a reference, use the expand and collapse buttons:
  - To expand all parent topics, click
  - To collapse all parent topics, click
  - To expand one parent topic, click
  - To collapse one parent topic
If you want to work with references in a list instead of a hierarchy, select List View, and then do any of the following:
1. Only the source component is selected. To branch a component in the list, select its checkbox. To choose all components at once, select the checkbox in the column heading.
  Note: You can't clear the checkbox for the source component. If you don't want to branch the source component, click Cancel, find the source component you want to use, and then select Save as a branch again.
2. To help you find a reference, if you know the name, you can search the Name column. In Search, enter text and press Enter.
3. Another way to find a reference is to change which columns are displayed. Place your cursor next to the name of any column and click the down arrow. Select any of the following options:
4. To sort the list of components to find a reference, next to the column name that you want to sort by, click the down arrow and select Sort Ascending or Sort Descending.
Select the checkbox for each reference you want to branch.
You may not see a referenced component if it has a tag applied to it called ExcludeFromBranch.
Choose where to save the branched copies:
- If you want to create copies of all selected components (source and reference) in the Target Folder, do not select the Keep folder structure option.
  For example:
- If you want to create the copies of all selected components (source and reference) in their current folders, select the Keep folder structure option.
  For example:
Click Create.
You see a message that the branch is being created.
If the creation was successful, you see the following message:
You see a message about the branch in the following places:
- Temporary pop-up message in the top right corner of the Inspire screen.
- As a message on the Notifications tab.
- In your email Inbox from Vasont (if configured).
- In Slack (if configured).
After you click Create, the branched files are created and named using the following format:
- Component name = ComponentName_LabelName
- Filename name = ComponentName_LabelName_GUID.XML
You can see the new component branch files in the Components browser in the target folder.
- Inspire creates a snapshot record for:
  - The source component where the Action is set to Branch.
  - The copied components that were branched where Action is set to Create, and Process type is set to Branch.
- On the Changesets tab you can search for this history record in the Action and Process Type filters by selecting Branch as an option.
In the Components browser, the branched components have an icon corresponding to their place in the branch.
- Black is the source component for a branch
- Green was branched because a source component referenced it
- Orange is both the source of one branch and included in another branch because a different source component referenced it
If the creation was not successful, you see the following message: