Schema-Aware Preferences

Oxygen XML Author Eclipse plugin can use the schema of your XML language to improve the way the Author mode editor handles your content. To configure the Schema-Aware options, open the Preferences dialog box and go to Editor > Edit modes > Author > Schema-Aware.

The following options are available:

Schema-aware normalization, format, and indent

When you open or save a document in Author mode, white space is normalized using the display property of the current CSS stylesheet and the values of the settings for Preserve space elements, Default space elements, and Mixed content elements. When this option is selected, the schema will also be used to normalize white space, based on the content model (element-only, simple-content, or mixed). Note that the schema information takes precedence.

Indent blocks-only content: To avoid accidentally introducing inappropriate white space around inline elements, Oxygen XML Author Eclipse plugin does not normally apply indenting to the source of an element with mixed content. If this option is selected, Oxygen XML Author Eclipse plugin will apply indenting to the source of mixed content elements that only contain block elements.

Schema-Aware Editing

The options in this section determine how Oxygen XML Author Eclipse plugin will use the schema of a document to control the behavior of the Author mode.

On - Enables all schema-aware editing options.
Off - Disables all schema-aware editing options.
Custom - Allows you to select custom schema-aware editing options from the following:

Schema-Aware Actions section

Delete element tags with backspace and delete

Controls what happens when you attempt to delete an element tag. The two options are:

Smart delete - If deleting the tag would make the document invalid, Oxygen XML Author Eclipse plugin will attempt to make the document valid by unwrapping the current element or by appending it to an adjacent element where the result would be valid. For instance, if you delete a bold tag, the content can be unwrapped and become part of the surrounding paragraph, but if you delete a list item tag, the list item content cannot become part of the list container. However, the content could be appended to a preceding list item.
Reject action when its result is invalid - A deletion that would leave the document in an invalid state is rejected.

Paste and Drag and Drop

Controls the behavior for paste and drag and drop actions. Available options are:

Smart paste and drag and drop - If the content inserted by a paste or drop action is not valid at the cursor position, according to the schema, Oxygen XML Author Eclipse plugin tries to find an appropriate insert position. The possibilities include:
- Creating a sibling element that can accept the content (for example, if you tried to paste a paragraph into an existing paragraph).
- Inserting the content into a parent or child element (for example, if you tried to paste a list item into an existing list item, or into the space above or below and existing list).
- Inserting the content into an ancestor element where it would be valid.
Reject action when its result is invalid - If selected, Oxygen XML Author Eclipse plugin will not let you paste content into a position where it would be invalid.

Typing

Controls the behavior that takes place when typing. Available options are:

Smart typing - If typed characters are not allowed in the element at the cursor position, but the previous element does allow text, then a similar element will be inserted, along with your content.
Reject action when its result is invalid - If selected, and the result of the typing action is invalid, the action will not be performed.

Content Completion

Controls the behavior that takes place when inserting elements using the Content Completion Assistant in Author mode. Available options are:

Press ENTER to show available content completion proposals - If selected, pressing Enter will open the Content Completion Assistant. If deselected, there are three possibilities:
- The current element will be split (if possible).
- A new element with the same name will be inserted (if possible).
- Otherwise, a new paragraph will be inserted.
Show all possible elements in the content completion list - If selected, the content completion list will show all the elements in the schema, even those that cannot be entered validly at the current position. If you select an element that is not valid at the current position, Oxygen XML Author Eclipse plugin will attempt to find a valid location to insert it and may present you with several options.
Allow only insertion of valid elements and attributes - If selected, you can only select elements in the content completion list that are valid (according to the schema) at the current position.
Allow only insertion of valid attribute values - If selected, you cannot enter an attribute value that is not valid (according to the schema) in the Attributes view or In-place Attributes Editor. If the attribute has a choice of values, you can select a possible value from a drop-down list in the combo box, but you cannot enter a value manually.

Warn on invalid content when performing action

A warning message will be displayed when performing an action that will result in invalid content. Available options are:

Delete Element Tags - If selected, a warning message will be displayed if the Delete Element Tags action will result in an invalid document. You will be asked to confirm the deletion.
Join Elements - If selected, a warning message will be displayed if the Join Elements action will result in an invalid document. You will be asked to confirm the join.

Automatically apply the best schema-aware insertion operation

If selected, Oxygen XML Author Eclipse plugin automatically uses what it considers to be the best insertion solution, when there is an attempt to insert content that is not valid in a specific context. If not selected, Oxygen XML Author Eclipse plugin will ask the user to choose from a list of proposed solutions.

Convert external content on paste

If selected, the Smart Paste feature is enabled when external content is pasted in Author mode.

Convert even when pasting inside space-preserve elements: If selected, the Smart Paste feature will be used even when external content is pasted inside a space-preserve element (such as a <codeblock>).
Convert pasted URLs to links: If selected, when a URL is pasted into Author mode, a link will be inserted (the type of link depends on the type of document). For example, in DITA documents, an <xref> is inserted.