DITA Map to PDF - based on DITA and CSS (WYSIWYG) Transformation
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Oxygen XML Editor plugin includes a built-in DITA Map to PDF - based on DITA & CSS (WYSIWYG) transformation scenario based on a DITA-OT CSS-based PDF Publishing plugin that convert DITA maps to PDF using a CSS-based processing engine. Oxygen XML Editor plugin also comes bundled with a built-in CSS-based PDF processing engine called Oxygen PDF Chemistry. For those who are familiar with CSS, this makes it very easy to style and customize the PDF output of your DITA projects without having to work with xsl:fo customizations. Oxygen XML Editor plugin also supports a few third-party processors.

The following processors are supported:

DITA Map to PDF - based on DITA and CSS (WYSIWYG) Transformation Scenario

To create a DITA Map to PDF - based on DITA & CSS (WYSIWYG) transformation scenario, follow these steps:
  1. Click the Configure Transformation Scenario(s) button from the DITA Maps Manager toolbar.
  2. Select DITA Map to PDF - based on DITA & CSS (WYSIWYG).
  3. If you want to configure the transformation, click the Edit button.
    Step Result: This opens an Edit scenario configuration dialog box that allows you to configure various options in the following tabs:
    • CSS Processor Tab - This is where you choose the processor type. You can select between Oxygen PDF Chemistry, Prince XML, or Antenna House.
    • Parameters Tab - This tab includes numerous parameters that can be set to customize your WebHelp system output.
    • Filters Tab - This tab allows you to filter certain content elements from the generated output.
    • Advanced Tab - This tab allows you to specify some advanced options for the transformation scenario.
    • Output Tab - This tab allows you to configure options that are related to the location where the output is generated.
  4. In the Parameters tab, configure any of the following parameters (if applicable):
    • args.css - Specifies a path to a custom CSS to be used in addition to those specified in the dita.css.list parameter OR in addition to the CSS that is currently selected in the Styles drop-down menu. The files must have URL syntax and be separated using semicolons. Also, the dita.css.list parameter must be left empty to use these files in addition to the selection in the Styles drop-down menu.
    • dita.css.list - Specifies a list of CSS URLs to be used by the PDF processor (instead of the default CSS files). The files must have URL syntax and be separated using semicolons. If the value is empty, the CSS associated with the current selection from the Styles drop-down menu is used.
    • css.processor.path.chemistry (if you are using the Oxygen PDF Chemistry processor) - Specifies the path to the Oxygen PDF Chemistry executable file that will be run to generate the PDF. If this parameter is not set, your system's PATH environment variable will be used to find and start the Oxygen PDF Chemistry processor.
    • 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.
    • figure.title.placement - Controls the position of the figure title relative to the image. Allowed values are "top" and "bottom", "top" is the default
  5. Click OK and run the transformation scenario.

Customizing the Output

The DITA-OT CSS-based PDF Publishing plugin makes it very easy to style and customize the PDF output of your DITA projects without having to work with xsl:fo customizations. You can style the PDF output by simply using a custom CSS to change the styling and then re-running the transformation scenario until you get the desired result.

For more information about customizing the output, see: CSS-based DITA to PDF Customization.

Changing the Style of an Element

To change the style of a particular 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. This can be done in two ways:

  • Specify the path to your custom CSS using the args.css parameter:
    1. Edit a DITA Map to PDF - based on DITA & CSS (WYSIWYG) transformation scenario.
    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.

  • Create an alternate CSS for the DITA document type:
    1. Follow the procedure for adding an alternate CSS file in Customizing Author Mode Using CSS Files Associated with a Framework.
    2. Once you have configured your CSS as an additional layer, you can select it from the Styles drop-down menu (on the toolbar).
    3. Run the DITA Map to PDF - based on DITA & CSS (WYSIWYG) transformation scenario and the customization rules from the additional CSS will be visible in the produced PDF.

    This method allows you to have many customization CSS files and simply select the one that you need at any time for both the output and the rendering in Author mode.