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Filtering / Profiling

Abstract

Learn how to use filtering, also known as profiling, to control which content is included in your outputs. Find out what you can filter and how the filtering works.

Filtering, also known as profiling, is a powerful feature for single-source publishing. It allows you to set content to be included or excluded when you publish, depending on whether it meets your chosen filter criteria. For example, you could write topics that include instructions for macOS and Windows, and then use filters to produce a PDF that is for macOS only, with the Windows instructions not included (filtered out).

Filtering can make it easier to adapt your content for different requirements, rather than having to create separate versions. Some common uses of filtering include:

  • Filter by product

    You could have a range of similar products that use the same publication for their user guide. By using filters, you can choose to exclude information that is not relevant to a product.

  • Filter by market

    You could have filters to include product information that's only relevant to a particular market. For example, you might have a topic that covers EU regulations that you only want to include when publishing user guides for products sold in the EU.

  • Filter by audience

    Use filters to include or exclude information depending on the intended audience of the document. For example, include technical information for system administrators, but exclude it for beginner users who will not have access to the admin features.

Paligo supports many different types of filtering, see Types of Filter.

To get started with filtering, see Set Up Filtering - Workflow. It explains the overall process for setting up filtering and guides you through some of the decisions you will need to make.