What is Element Image?

Some DSM elements may have a specific graphical representation (e.g. charts, diagrams) associated with them.
For instance, an element in XML schema file that defines a particular XSD component may be associated with a diagram showing the content model or the derivation of that component.
Such representations, called element images, can be easily inserted in the generated output using Image Control.

Element images are generated by a special extension of the DSM Driver called Element Image Provider (see DSMType.imageProvider). Since element images are specific only to a particular type of data sources (e.g. XSD files), the Element Image Provider is effectively a part of the DSM Type.

As element images are typically diagrams, they may depict various different things described in the documentation, for instance, associated with other DSM elements. So, the entire element image must be broken into areas hyperlinked to particular documentation details. That is called image map.

The image map itself is supplied by the Element Image Provider along with the image. However, the generation of hyperlinks is programmed in the Image Control (that outputs the element image) on «Hypertext | Links» tab of its Properties Dialog.

All hyperlink definitions specified there will be interpreted against each image map area passed via imageMapArea generator variable (i.e. GOM property). The properties associated with it (describing the image area; see also GOMImageMapArea) should be used to obtain/calculate various things about the hyperlink.