In the second part of the post I will discuss the technical aspects of the IMF. I must emphasize at this point, although the IMF is an XML file it is not an S1000D Data Module Type. However, the structure is very similar. The data is split into two parts, the Identification and Status section and the Content Section.
The IMF file name is derived from the Information Control Number. The overarching element for the file is <icnMetadataFile>, the ID & Status and Content tags sit below and are prefixed by the <imf…. syntax.
The ID & Status section is spit into two, the Address and Status sections, if you’re familiar with the S1000D Data Module XML structure you will notice the similarity.
The Address section includes the ID element, containing the ICN code and Issue information. Also, the Address Items, some of them self-explanatory, such as Title and Issue Date. However, the <icnKeyword> requires some explanation, it provides the ability to easily find graphic object’s when stored in a repository, either individually or as a group with the same keyword.
In summary, the IMF file provides a similar capability to the S1000D Data Module when managing the data. In Part 3 of the blog post, I will focus on the Status section <imfStatus> of the IMF file.
