DITA Map to PDF WYSIWYG Transformation

Oxygen XML Developer comes bundled with a DITA OT plugin that converts DITA maps to PDF using a CSS layout processor. Oxygen XML Developer supports the following processors (not included in the Oxygen XML Developer installation kit):

Prince Print with CSS - A third-party component that needs to be purchased from http://www.princexml.com.
Antenna House Formatter - A third-party component that needs to be purchased from http://www.antennahouse.com/antenna1/formatter/.

The DITA-OT plugin is located in the following directory: DITA_OT_DIR/plugins/com.oxygenxml.pdf.css.

Although it includes a set of CSS files in its css subfolder, when this plugin is used in Oxygen XML Developer, the CSS files located in the ${frameworks} directory take precedence.

Creating the Transformation Scenario

To create an experimental DITA map to PDF WYSIWYG transformation scenario, follow these steps:

Click the Configure Transformation Scenario(s) button.
Select DITA Map PDF - WYSIWYG - Experimental.
In the Parameters tab, configure the following parameters:
- css.processor.path.prince (if you are using the Prince Print with CSS processor) - Specifies the path to the Prince executable file that will be run to produce the PDF. If you installed Prince using its default settings, you can leave this blank.
- css.processor.path.antenna-house (if you are using the Antenna House Formatter processor) - Specifies the path to the Antenna House executable file that will be run to produce the PDF. If you installed Antenna House using its default settings, you can leave this blank.
- show.changes.and.comments - When set to yes, user comments, replies to comments, and tracked changes are published in the PDF output. The default value is no.
- dita.css.list - Allows you to specify a list of CSS URLs to be used by the PDF processor. The files must have URL syntax and be separated using semicolons.
- args.css - Allows you to specify a list of CSS URLs to be used in addition to those specified in the dita.css.list parameter.
Click OK and run the transformation scenario.

Customizing the Styles (for Output and Editing)

If you need to change the styles in the associated CSS, make sure you install Oxygen XML Developer in a folder where you have full read and write privileges (for instance, your user home directory). This is due to the fact that the installed files are usually placed in a read-only folder (for instance, in Windows, Oxygen XML Developer is installed in the Program Files folder where the users do not have change rights).

To change the styles of an element you need to create an additional CSS file that will store the customization rules. Once you have created this file, you need to instruct the editor how to use this additional CSS.

Use the args.css parameter that allows you to specify a list of CSS URLs to be used in addition to the dita.css.list parameter:
1. Configure a DITA map to PDF WYSIWYG transformation scenario, as described in the procedure above.
2. In the Parameters tab, specify the path to your custom CSS files in the args.css parameter.
3. Click OK and run the transformation scenario.
This method is appropriate if you just want to apply the styling customization to the output.

How to Make Remote Resources Appear in the Output When Using the Prince Processor

If your documentation references external resources (such as images that are stored on a Web-based repository) and your system is behind an HTTP(S) proxy, you may find that they do not appear in the output when using the Prince Print with CSS processor. To solve this, follow this procedure:

Edit the build.xml file that is located in DITA_OT_DIR/plugins/com.oxygenxml.pdf.css.

There are two instances in the file where a pair of arguments are commented out:

   <!-- Please remove the comment wrapping the following two arguments
   if you are behind a proxy and your documentation refers remote resources,
   for example images. 
      
   Note: You also need to remove the backslash '\' that appears before the 
   property name: "http-proxy". That backslash is there because a sequence of 
   two dashes ('-') is not permited inside a comment.
   -->
   <!--
     <arg value="-\-http-proxy=${http.proxyHost}:${http.proxyPort}"/>
     <arg value="-\-http-proxy=${https.proxyHost}:${https.proxyPort}"/>
   -->

Remove the comment in both instances.
Make sure you also remove the slash that appears before the property name http-proxy in each instance.
Step Result: The arguments should now look like this:
```
  <arg value="--http-proxy=${http.proxyHost}:${http.proxyPort}"/>
  <arg value="--http-proxy=${https.proxyHost}:${https.proxyPort}"/>
```
Save the build.xml file.
Run the DITA map to PDF WYSIWYG transformation scenario.
Result: Your external resources should now appear in your output.