Oxygen XML Editor provides a Styles
drop-down list on the Author Styles toolbar that allows you to select
one main (non-alternate) CSS style and multiple alternate CSS
styles. An option in the preferences can be enabled to allow the alternate styles to behave
like layers and be combined with the main CSS style. This makes it easy to change the look of
the document.
An example of a common use case is when content authors want to use
custom styling within a document. You can select a main CSS stylesheet that styles the whole
document and then apply alternate styles, as layers, to specific parts of the document. In the
subsequent figure, a DITA document has the
Century style selected for
the main CSS and the alternate styles
Full width,
Show table
column specification,
Hints, and
Inline
actions are combined for additive styling to specific parts of the
document.
Note: Oxygen XML Editor comes with a set of predefined CSS layer stylesheets
for DITA documents only, but the support is available for all other document
types.
Tip: The Hints style displays tooltips
throughout DITA documents that offer additional information to help you with the DITA
structure. The Inline actions style displays possible elements that
are allowed to be inserted at various locations throughout DITA documents.
Figure: Styles Drop-down List in a DITA Document
The main and alternate styles that are listed in the
Styles drop-down
list can be controlled in the
Document Type Association dialog box. To access this
dialog:
-
Open the Preferences dialog
box
.
- Go to .
- Select the appropriate document type and press the Edit
button.
The CSS styles associated with the particular document type are listed in the
Author tab.
The names listed in the
Styles drop-down list match the values in the
Title column. The value in the
Alternate
column determines whether it is a main or alternate CSS. If the value is
no it is a
main CSS. If the value is
yes it is an alternate CSS and the style can be combined with
a main CSS or other alternate styles when using the
Styles drop-down
list.
Note: To group alternate styles into categories, use a vertical bar character ( | ) in
the
Title column. The part before the vertical bar will be rendered
as a menu entry in the
Styles dropdown, while the part after the
vertical bar will be rendered as the style's name.
Example: Let's suppose that we
add two alternate stylesheets, with the Title column set to
User Assistance|Hints and User Assistance|Inline
Actions. Oxygen XML Editor will add in the
Stylesdropdown a User Assistance submenu,
containing the Hints and Inline Actions
items.
A developer can add, edit, or delete styles from this dialog box to control the main and
alternate styles associated to the particular document type. Notice that the CSS styles shown
in the following figure match the styles listed in the drop-down list in the previous figure.
Figure: Main and Alternate CSS Styles in the Document Type Association Dialog Box
The Enable multiple selection of alternate CSSs box at the bottom of
the pane must be checked in order for the alternate styles to be combined. If this option is
disabled, the alternate styles are treated like main CSS styles and you can only select one at
a time. By default, this option is enabled for DITA documents. There are also a few radio
button options to specify how to handle the CSS if there are CSS styles specified in the
document. You can choose to ignore or merge them.
The selections from the Styles drop-down list are persistent, meaning
that Oxygen XML Editor will remember the selections when subsequent documents are
opened.
Note: The application also supports working directly with LESS stylesheets, instead of
CSS.