Section 3. DITA topic reference

3.1. DITA topic menu

When a DITA topic (of any kind) is opened in XMLmind XML Editor, the XML menu becomes the Topic menu and this menu is populated with items which are specific to DITA topics. This reference contains a description of such menu items.

Paste As

Paste As

Paste from Word Processor or Browser

Import the HTML copied to the clipboard by word processors or web browsers and intelligently paste it into the DITA topic being edited.

Extensive efforts are made to decently support the “non-filtered HTML” copied by MS-Word to the clipboard.
When an application other than MS-Word is used, the quality of the result you'll get in XXE highly depends on what has been copied to the clipboard. In all cases, XXE tries very hard to import something simple, clean and valid at the expense of the fidelity to the original data.

The pasted data replaces the text or node selection if any. When there is no selection, XMLmind XML Editor automatically determines a valid insertion location at or following the caret position.

If XMLmind XML Editor fails to find such valid insertion location, the rich text is converted to valid DITA and then copied to the clipboard, overwriting the original data put there by the third-party application. This allows to use the “normal” Paste Before, Paste or Paste After commands to paste the data elsewhere in the document.

Tip

This menu entry allows not only to paste snippets copied from word processors or web browsers, but also to import entire documents or HTML pages. In order to import the entire document into XXE:

Open the document in the third-party application.
Press Ctrl-A (Select All) then press Ctrl-C (Copy) to copy it to the clipboard.
Create a new topic (of any kind) in XMLmind XML Editor by using File → New.
Use File → Save As to save this new document to disk.
Explicitly select the root element of the document, for example by clicking on its name in the node path bar.
Select menu item "Paste from Word Processor or Browser" to paste the content of the clipboard⁽¹⁾.

Tip

If, using MS-Word, you want to copy a piece of text rather than a paragraph, do not include the hidden character found at the very end of a paragraph (the paragraph mark) in your selection.

Other menu entries

The entries of this submenu allow to paste the plain text copied to the clipboard, typically using a third-party word processor or spreadsheet, as:

one or more paragraphs,
OR a <pre> element,
OR one or more list items,
OR an itemized list,
OR one or more table rows,
OR a table.

The last two menu entries assume that each text line specifies a table row and that, within a text line, the contents of the table cells are separated by tab characters.

Tip

If you need to paste the copied text as an ordered list, first paste this text as an itemized list then convert the pasted list to an ordered list using Edit → Convert (Ctrl-T).

The following entries of this submenu allow to paste the image copied to the clipboard as:

<image>,
<fig>.

Menu entry "image" replaces the text or node selection if any. When there is no selection, this menu entry pastes its element at caret position (just like Edit → Paste).

All the other menu entries also replace the text or node selection if any. When there is no selection, these menu entries paste their elements at any valid position in the document following the caret position.

Indexterm editor

Insert or Edit indexterm

If the caret is anywhere inside an <indexterm> element or if a single element or node is explicitly selected anywhere inside an <indexterm> element, this menu item displays an <indexterm> editor dialog box allowing to modify this <indexterm> element.

Otherwise, this menu item displays an <indexterm> editor dialog box allowing to create a new <indexterm> element and then to insert it at caret position.

Tip

If some text has been selected, field Term of the dialog box is automatically initialized with the text selection. Therefore the simplest way to create an <indexterm> element is first to select the term in the body of the document, then invoke Topic → Insert or Edit indexterm and finally click OK.

Moving elements

Move Up: Move selected element up, that is, swap it with its preceding sibling node. Requires the element to be explicitly selected.
Move Down: Move selected element down, that is, swap it with its following sibling node. Requires the element to be explicitly selected.

Checking external links

Check External References: Checks all the links to external resources (e.g. <xref> elements having attribute @scope="external") found in the document being edited. All kinds of external resources are checked for existence: images, audio, video, PDF documents, HTML pages, etc. When the resource is an HTML page and the link ends with a fragment (e.g. "#bar" in "../doc/foo.html#bar") then this fragment is also checked for existence.

Convert Document menu

Note

The "Convert to RTF", WML, DOCX, ODT, entries documented below are absent in XMLmind DITA Editor. They are found only in XMLmind XML Editor.

Attention

The items of this menu are all disabled if the document being edited needs to be saved to disk.

Convert to XHTML

Convert to XHTML [one page]

Converts the document being edited to multi page or single page XHTML 1.0.

Convert to Web Help

Converts the document being edited to Web Help containing XHTML 5 pages.

Convert to HTML Help

Converts the document being edited to a .chm file. This command is disabled on platforms other than Windows.

Requires:

Download and install Microsoft®'s HTML Help Workshop.
Declare the HTML Help compiler, hhc.exe, as the helper application associated to files having a "hhp" extension. This can be specified by using the Preferences dialog box, Helper Applications section.

Convert to Eclipse Help

Converts the document being edited to a directory containing various files for use by the Eclipse Help system.

Convert to EPUB

Converts the document being edited to an .epub file.

Convert to RTF (Word 2000+)

Converts the document being edited to RTF (Rich Text Format) using. The document generated by this command can be edited and printed using Microsoft® Word 2000 and above.

Convert to WordprocessingML (Word 2003+)

Converts the document being edited to WordprocessingML. The document generated by this command can be edited and printed using Microsoft® Word 2003 and above.

Convert to Office Open XML (Word 2007+)

Converts the document being edited to Office Open XML (.docx file) . The document generated by this command can be edited and printed using Microsoft® Word 2007 and above.

Convert to OpenDocument (OpenOffice.org 2+)

Converts the document being edited to OpenDocument (.odt file). The document generated by this command can be edited and printed using OpenOffice.org 2.

Convert to PDF

Convert the document being edited to PDF.

3.2. DITA topic tool bar

When a DITA topic (of any kind) is opened in XMLmind XML Editor, buttons which are specific to this kind of document are automatically added to the tool bar. This reference contains a description of such buttons.

Button Description

Toggle i

“Toggle” element <i>. Next to this toggle is found an arrow button displaying a menu containing additional checkboxes for the following elements: <term>, <cite>, <tm>, tm[reg].

Note

The DITA tool bar starts with a number of “text style” toggles. These toggles emulate the behavior of the Bold, Italic, Underline, etc, toggles found in the tool bars of almost all word-processors. More information about text style toggles in "About text style toggles

Figure 4. Toggles found at the beginning of the DITA tool bar

In the above screenshot, the caret is inside an <i> element and the user clicked the arrow button next to a “italic text style” toggle.

Toggle b

“Toggle” element <b>. Next to this toggle is found an arrow button displaying a menu containing additional checkboxes for the following elements: <keyword>, <uicontrol>, <option>.

Toggle tt

“Toggle” element <tt>. Next to this toggle is found an arrow button displaying a menu containing additional checkboxes for the following elements: <filepath>, <varname>, <cmdname>, <apiname>, <codeph>, <xmlelement>, <xmlatt>, <xmlpi>,

Change case

Displays a menu letting the user change the character case of selected text. If a single node is selected, this converts the character case of all the text contained in this node. If there is no selection of any kind, this converts the character case from caret position to end of word, then it moves the caret to the next word.

lowercase: All characters are converted to lowercase characters. Keyboard shortcut: Esc l.
UPPERCASE: All characters are converted to uppercase characters. Keyboard shortcut: Esc u.
Capitalize Each Word: First character of a word is converted to an uppercase character. The other characters are converted to lowercase characters. Keyboard shortcut: Esc c.

Convert to plain text

Convert implicit or explicit selection to plain text.

Add xref

Displays a menu letting the user add a link —an <xref> element— to your DITA topic.

xref: Converts the selection, if any, to an “internal link”; simply inserts an empty “internal link” at caret position otherwise.
xref[html]: Converts the selection, if any, to an “external link”; simply inserts an empty “external link” at caret position otherwise. An external link is an <xref> element with attributes @scope=external and @format=html.

Set ID

This button displays a menu having 2 entries: Set ID and List Anchors and Links.

The List Anchors and Links menu entry displays a dialog box letting the user search and select anchors (that is, any element having an ID) and links. Its Copy button copies selected ID or link target to the clipboard.

Figure 5. The "List Anchors and Links" dialog box

Decrease nesting level

Convert a paragraph to a list item and a list item to a paragraph, the new element having a lesser nesting level than the original one. This button automatically splits lists when needed to.

This is the inverse command of "Increase nesting level". More Information below.

Increase nesting level

Convert a paragraph to a list item and a list item to a paragraph, the new element having a greater nesting level than the original one. This button automatically creates lists or merges adjacent lists when needed to.

Note that the two above buttons strictly alternate between paragraphs and list items. This means that you'll often have to click a button twice in a row. For example, in order to create a nested list, first click anywhere inside a list item and then click "Increase nesting level" twice. First click converts the list item to a plain paragraph contained in the preceding list item. Second click converts this paragraph to the first item of a new nested list.

For the two above buttons to function, any of the following conditions should be met:

A sequence of list items must be explicitly selected.
A list must be explicitly selected. This is equivalent to selecting all its items.
A sequence of blocks starting with a paragraph must be explicitly selected.
A paragraph must be implicitly selected. In order to implicitly select a paragraph, suffice to click anywhere inside it. However if this paragraph is the first child of a list item, then it's the list item which is implicitly selected.
A list item must be implicitly selected. In order to implicitly select a list item, suffice to click anywhere inside it.

Tip

When a paragraph is to be converted to a new list using this "Increase nesting level" button, there is a quick and simple way to specify the kind of list to be created:

If the paragraph is empty, simply type "*", "-", "1.", "a.", "A.", "i.", "I.", optionally followed by space characters, in it.
If the paragraph is not empty, type "*", "-", "1.", "a.", "A.", "i.", "I.", followed by at least one space character, at the very beginning of it.

These “prefixes” are used to create respectively: ul, ul, ol, ol[lower-alpha], ol[upper-alpha], ol[lower-roman], ol[upper-roman], as if the "Change list type" menu below was automatically used.

Change list type

Displays a menu allowing to change the type of the current list.

Additional menu entry "Continue Numbering", which is rendered as a checkbox, adds/removes "continue" to/from the @outputclass attribute of an ordered list. Additional menu entry "Inherit Numbering", which is rendered as a checkbox, adds/removes "inheritnum" to/from the @outputclass attribute of an ordered list. More information about these values of the @outputclass attribute in Section 4.1. Controlling the numbering of ordered lists.

The list must be explicitly or implicitly selected. In order to implicitly select a list, suffice to click anywhere inside it.

Known problems

Except for the simplest cases, "Continue Numbering" is not correctly rendered in the styled view of the document. For example, "Continue Numbering" has no visual effect on <ol> elements having an <ol> ancestor.

The reason of this limitation is that the implementation of "Continue Numbering" leverages standard CSS counters

. However, when you'll convert your document to other formats such as HTML, PDF, DOCX, etc, there are no such limitations and "Continue Numbering" should give you the expected results.

Add list

Displays a menu allowing to select a type of list (<ul>, <ol>, <dl>). The chosen list is added after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so and where it makes sense to do so (see note).

Add <p>

Add a p after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so and where it makes sense to do so.

Note

This command and all the following commands will never add an element inside a <p>, even it is valid to do so. These commands add elements always after a <p>. That is, a <p> element is always considered by these commands as being a plain paragraph and never as being a division.

Add list item

Add a list item of the right type after current list item. For this command to work, suffice to click anywhere inside an <sl>, <ul>, <ol>, <dl>, <choices>, <substeps>, <steps>, <steps-unordered>.

Add footnote

Displays a menu allowing the user to insert a footnote (<fn>) or a reference to a footnote (<xref type="fn">) at caret position or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so.

If a reference to a footnote is already selected, the "xref[fn]" menu entry lets the user choose the ID of the footnote to be referenced.

Add note

Displays a menu allowing the user to add different kinds of admonitions after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so.

Add pre

Displays a menu allowing the user to add a <pre>, <lines>, <screen>, <codeblock> or a <msgblock> after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so and where it makes sense to do so (see note).

Menu entry "Normalize Whitespace" normalizes whitespace in implicitly or explicitly selected program listing. Normalizing whitespace means: expanding tab characters to a number of space characters and removing the space characters which are common to the beginning of all text lines (that is, removing the superfluous “indentation” in the program listing, if any).

Add image

Displays a menu letting the user:

insert an <image> or an <svg-container> at caret position;
OR add a <fig> (containing an <image> or containing a <svg-container>) after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so and where it makes sense to do so (see note);
OR add an <imagemap> element after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so and where it makes sense to do so (see note).
After using this "imagemap" menu item, right-click anywhere inside the newly inserted <imagemap> element and select "Edit Image Map" from the contextual popup menu to display an image map editor. This image map editor allows to add “hot areas” to your image. More information in The "Edit Image Map" dialog box .

$math.png$ Add MathML equation

Displays a menu letting the user add various kinds of MathML

equations after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so.

Insert media object

Displays a menu allowing to insert a media element at caret position.

object(audio): An <object> element allowing to add audio to your topic.
object(video): An <object> element allowing to add video to your topic.
object(youtube): An <object> element allowing to add a YouTube video to your topic.

More information about the above “media objects” in Section 4.4. Rich media content.

Add section Add a <section> or an <example> after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so and where it makes sense to do so (see note).

Add table

Displays a menu allowing the user to add a <simpletable> or a <table> after node selection or after caret at a location where it is valid to do so and where it makes sense to do so (see note).

Table editor See Table editor below. See also Section 4.2. Giving a background color to table cells.

Table editor

This table editor may be used to edit <simpletable>s as well as CALS <table>s. Most table editing commands can be repeated by using Edit → Repeat (Ctrl-A).

Note that using this table editor, or simply saving a topic, or checking a topic for validity, guarantees that the @cols attribute of a <tgroup> is up to date. That is, you may forget about the @cols attribute, XMLmind XML Editor will always compute it for you.

Button Menu item Description

Table column

For a command in this menu to work, click anywhere inside a cell⁽²⁾.

Insert Before

Insert a column before column containing specified cell.

Insert After Insert a column after column containing specified cell.

Cut Cut to the clipboard the column containing specified cell.

Copy Copy to the clipboard the column containing specified cell.

Paste Before Paste copied or cut column before column containing specified cell.

Paste After Paste copied or cut column after column containing specified cell.

Delete Delete the column containing specified cell.

Sort Rows

Sort all the rows of the table according to the string values of the cells of the “selected column”. (The “selected column” is the column containing specified cell.)

A dialog box is displayed allowing to specify the following sort options:

Order: Dictionary is the language-specific alphabetical order. Example: (Charles, best, Albert) is sorted as (Albert, best, Charles).

Numeric. The string value of a cell is expected to start with a number. Example: (+15.0%, 1.50%, -20%) is sorted as (-20%, 1.50%, +15.0%).

Lexicographic is the order of Unicode characters. Example: (Charles, best, Albert) is sorted as (Albert, Charles, best).

Dictionary and Numeric orders will cause this menu item to fail, unless the language of the table can be determined (i.e. lookup for the @xml:lang attribute).
Direction: Ascending means: A to Z, low to high. Descending means: Z to A, high to low.

Note that:

Header rows (i.e. <thead>, <sthead>) are never sorted.
The contents of row groups (i.e. <tbody>) are sorted separately.

Table row

For a command in this menu to work, click anywhere inside a cell⁽²⁾ or explicitly select a row.

Insert Before

Insert a row before row containing specified cell.

Note

Note that row editing commands are enabled, not only by implicitly or explicitly selecting a table cell or any of its descendants, but also by explicitly selecting a table row.

Insert After Insert a row before row containing specified cell.

Cut Cut to the clipboard the row containing specified cell.

Copy Copy to the clipboard the row containing specified cell.

Paste Before Paste copied or cut row before row containing specified cell.

Paste After Paste copied or cut row after row containing specified cell.

Delete Delete the row containing specified cell.

Table cell

For a command in this menu to work, click anywhere inside a cell⁽²⁾.

Increment Column Span

Increment the number of columns spanned by specified cell. Not relevant for <simpletable>s.

Decrement Column Span Decrement the number of columns spanned by specified cell. Not relevant for <simpletable>s.

Increment Row Span Increment the number of rows spanned by specified cell. Not relevant for <simpletable>s.

Decrement Row Span Decrement the number of rows spanned by specified cell. Not relevant for <simpletable>s.

Set Color

Displays a dialog box allowing to give a background color to specified cell.

Figure 6. The "Set Color" dialog box

Unlike the other entries of this menu, this entry allows to give a background color, not only to specified cell, but also to one or more of any of the following explicitly selected elements: <simpletable>, <sthead>, <strow>, <stentry>, <tgroup>, <thead>, <tbody>, <row>, <entry>.

Action	Description
`Alt+Shift-Up`	Same as menu item Move Up.
`Alt+Shift-Down`	Same as menu item Move Down.
`Alt+Shift-Left`	Same as toolbar button Decrease nesting level.
`Alt+Shift-Right`	Same as toolbar button Increase nesting level.
`Ctrl+Alt-click` (`Cmd+Alt-click` on the Mac)	Follow the link clicked upon.
`Enter`	Insert a newline character if possible. Otherwise, if caret is at the beginning of a paragraph, list item or a few other kinds of block, insert same block before. Otherwise, if caret is at the end of a block, insert same block after. Otherwise, split block.
`Del`	Delete selection if any. Otherwise, if caret is at the end of a paragraph, list item or a few other kinds of block, join with following block. Otherwise, delete character following caret.
`BackSpace`	Delete selection if any. Otherwise, if caret is at the beginning of a paragraph, list item or a few other kinds of block, join with preceding block. Otherwise, delete character preceding caret.
`Ctrl-Enter`	Add same block after the paragraph, list item or a few other kinds of block which is the ancestor of selected node.
Drop an object.	If the drop occurs above an element having an `@href` attribute other than an `<image>` (e.g. an `<xref>`), the dropped string is considered to be an URL and is used to change the value of the `@href` attribute. Note that this kind of drop attempts to relativize the dropped URL against the location of the drop site. For example, if you drop "`file://home/john/doc/topic1.dita`" onto an `<xref>` contained in file "`file://home/john/doc/ref/reference2.dita`", its `@href` is set to "`../topic1.dita`". Elsewhere, normal behaviour which is: Drop onto an `<image>` element Considers the dropped string to be the URL or the filename of a graphics file. Displays a dialog box allowing to copy or reference this graphics file for use by the `<image>` element. Drop elsewhere If the object being dropped is an URL or an absolute filename, open the corresponding document. Otherwise, displays a popup menu allowing to paste the dropped text or XML before, into or after the drop location.
Drag one of the “handles” displayed around an image. (The “handles” are displayed after clicking on the image.)	Resize the image, but always preserve its aspect ratio. Pressing `Ctrl` (`Cmd` on the Mac) while dragging the handle allows to distort the image.
Drag a separator found between two table columns.	Resize the table column. More precisely this gives an appropriate proportional width (e.g. `<colspec colwidth="3*">`) to all table columns.

3. DITA topic reference

3.1. DITA topic menu

Paste As

Tip

Tip

Tip

Indexterm editor

Tip

Moving elements

Checking external links

Convert Document menu

Note

Attention

3.2. DITA topic tool bar

Note

Figure 4. Toggles found at the beginning of the DITA tool bar

Figure 5. The "List Anchors and Links" dialog box

Tip

Known problems

Note

Table editor

Note

Figure 6. The "Set Color" dialog box

3.3. DITA topic bindings