DITA Preferences

To access the DITA Preferences page, open the Preferences dialog box (Options ⇒ Preferences) and go to DITA. This preferences page includes the following sections and options:

DITA Open Toolkit section

This section allows you to specify the default directory of the DITA Open Toolkit distribution (bundled with the Oxygen XML Author installation) to be used for validating and publishing DITA content. You can select from the following:

Built-in DITA-OT 1.8

If this is set, all defined DITA transformation scenarios will run with DITA-OT 1.8.5. The built-in DITA OT 1.8.5 directory is: [OXYGEN_INSTALL_DIR]/frameworks/dita/DITA-OT.

Built-in DITA-OT 2.x (with support for DITA 1.3 and Lightweight DITA)

Starting with Oxygen 18.0, this is the default setting. All defined DITA transformation scenarios will run with DITA-OT 2.3.3. This also gives you access to DITA 1.3 file templates when you create new documents from templates. The default DITA OT 2.3.3 directory is: [OXYGEN_INSTALL_DIR]/frameworks/dita/DITA-OT2.x.

Custom

Allows you to specify a custom directory for your DITA OT distribution.

Location

You can either provide a new file path for the specific DITA OT that you want to use or select a previously used one from the drop-down list. You can specify the path by using the text field, the Insert Editor Variables button, or the Browse button.

DITA Maps file patterns

Allows you to specify the extension types that will be handled as DITA maps when opened in Oxygen XML Author.

When opening a map

Oxygen XML Author can open a DITA map in the regular editor view or in the DITA Maps Manager. This options allows you to specify how a map will be opened. You can choose one of the following options:

• Always open in the DITA Maps Manager - A DITA map file is always opened in the DITA Maps Manager view.
• Always open as XML - A DITA map file is always opened in the XML editor.
• Always ask - When opening a DITA map, you are prompted to choose between opening it in the XML editor panel or in the DITA Maps Manager view.

Prefer navigation title for topicref rendering

If enabled and there is a navtitle attribute set on a topicref, then the navtitle is used to render the title of the topic in the DITA Maps Manager.

Insert topic reference section

Allows you to specify that when inserting a topic reference (using the Insert Reference dialog box and Edit Properties dialog box), the values for certain attributes will always be automatically populated with a detected value (based on the specifications), even if it is the same as the default value. You can choose to always populate the values for the following attributes:

• Format - If enabled, the attribute will always be automatically populated with a detected value.
• Scope - If enabled, the sformatcope attribute will always be automatically populated with a detected value.
• Type - If enabled, the type attribute will always be automatically populated with a detected value.
• Navigation title - If enabled, the navtitle attribute will always be automatically populated with a detected value.

Insert link section

Allows you to specify that when a link reference is inserted (using actions in the Link drop-down menu), the values for certain attributes will always be automatically populated with a detected value (based on the specifications), even if it is the same as the default value. You can choose to always populate the values for the following attributes:

• Format - If enabled, the format attribute will always be automatically populated with a detected value.
• Scope - If enabled, the scope attribute will always be automatically populated with a detected value.
• Type - If enabled, the type attribute will always be automatically populated with a detected value.

Use '.' instead of the ID of the parent topic (DITA 1.3)

When addressing a non-topic element within the topic that contains the URI reference, the URI reference can use an abbreviated fragment-identifier syntax that replaces the topic ID with "." (#./elementId). For more information, see https://www.oxygenxml.com/dita/1.3/specs/index.html#archSpec/base/uri-based-addressing.html.

File name generation rules for new topics section

The options in this section pertain to the rules that will be used to generate file names in the New DITA File dialog box if the Use the title to generate the file name option is selected.

Replace spaces with

If selected, the file name generation mechanism will replace spaces in the title with the character entered in this option.

Lower case only

Select this option if you want the file name generation mechanism to only use lower case letters.

Use camel case

If selected, the file name generation mechanism will convert the title to a camel case file name.

Upper case first letter

Select this option if you want the file name generation mechanism to convert the title to a camel case file name but use an upper case letter for the first word.

Show console output

Allows you to specify when to display the console output log. The following options are available:

• When build fails - displays the console output log if the build fails.
• Always - displays the console output log, regardless of whether or not the build fails.

Profiling Attributes link

Link to the Profiling Attributes preferences page, where you can configure how profiling and conditional text is displayed in Author mode.