• 2025

    26.1.0
    Version 26.1.0 - March 25, 2024
  • 2024

    26.0.0
    Version 26.0.0 - October 11, 2023
  • 25.1.0
    Version 25.1.0 - March 16, 2023
  • 2023

    25.0.0
    Version 25.0.0 - October 13, 2022
  • 24.1.0
    Version 24.1.0 - March 7, 2022
  • 2022

    24.0.0
    Version 24.0.0 - October 18, 2021
  • 23.1.1
    Version 23.1.1 - July 12, 2021
  • 23.1.0
    Version 23.1.0 - March 4, 2021
  • 2021

    23.0.0
    Version 23.0.0 - November 19, 2020
  • 22.1.0
    Version 22.1.0 - May 19, 2020
  • 22.0.0
    Version 22.0.0 - February 12, 2020
  • 2020

    21.1.1
    Version 21.1.1 - October 24, 2019
  • 21.1.0
    Version 21.1.0 - May 23, 2019
  • 21.0.0
    Version 21.0.0 - February 22, 2019
  • 2019

    20.1.0
    Version 20.1.0 - June 15, 2018
  • 20.0.0
    Version 20.0.0 - March 16, 2018
  • 2018

  • 19.0.0
    Version 19.1.0 - September 29, 2017
    Version 19.0.0 - April 5, 2017
  • 2017

  • 18.0.0
    Version 18.1.0 - October 18, 2016
    Version 18.0.1 - August 9, 2016
    Version 18.0.0 - April 21, 2016
    Version 18.0 - April 21, 2016
  • 18.0
    Version 18.1.0 - October 18, 2016
    Version 18.0.1 - August 9, 2016
    Version 18.0.0 - April 21, 2016
    Version 18.0 - April 21, 2016

What's New in Oxygen XML Web Author 26.1.0

March 25, 2024

Related version: 26.0.0    

Oxygen XML Web Author version 26.1.0 is an incremental release for the innovative web-based XML authoring tool. This release has some interesting new features for DITA users, introducing support for DITA-OT project files and providing better handling of DITAVAL filters. The DITA Map pane allows users to specify a DITA-OT project file and choose between the contexts defined within it. Users may also easily switch profiling conditions, and there is the option to hide or present as grayed out content that is excluded by the current filter in the document, DITA Maps pane, and in the Outline pane.

The AI Positron Assistant's feature for previewing changes was improved to allow choosing which of the AI's proposed changes will be incorporated into users' documents. When dragging a node within the Outline pane, the outline tree automatically scrolls along with the movement to make it easier to precisely drop the node where needed. The Unicode support was improved to better support surrogate characters (e.g. emoji characters) and the text mode is available as read-only mode for concurrent editing sessions. When Markdown content is pasted within DITA, DocBook, TEI, or XHTML documents, it is automatically converted to the target vocabulary by the smart paste functionality.

If users develop Web Author customizations, the new CSS Inspector lets them see the styles of the selected element and the process of uploading a framework now includes validation to keep customized frameworks error-free. Server logs are available from the Administration Page to help troubleshoot issues with the Web Author server and some new URL parameters are also available to impose a DITAVAL filter or a DITA-OT project context for filtering the document.

Version 26.1 also brings a variety of performance improvements, security enhancements, API and component updates, and bug fixes.

Artificial Intelligence

Preview Feature Improved

The preview functionality used by the AI Positron Assistant plugin was improved, now enabling you to selectively choose which of the AI's proposed changes will be incorporated into your document.

It is important to mention that the AI Positron Assistant plugin is currently accessible exclusively on the Web Author demo server and soon to be available for Web Author on-premise installations.

Preview Feature Improved

DITA

Added Support for DITA-OT Projects

DITA-OT project files can be designed in a modular fashion to create reusable configuration structures that allow you to define settings in one file and refer to them in other projects to publish multiple deliverables at once.

The DITA Map pane now has controls that you can use to specify a DITA-OT project file and choose between the contexts defined within it. This allows you to easily choose the current context map and content filtering, allowing you to visualize and edit the content for a specific publication. By setting a project, you can also easily switch between its contexts to see a preview of each final publication.

Set DITA Project and Context in DITA Map Pane

More Control When Setting a DITA Context

You now have more flexibility when it comes to imposing a DITA context, either by choosing a DITA project and one of its contexts, or by choosing a DITA map and a DITAVAL filtering file. This grants you a larger focus to edit content in a specific context. You can easily switch profiling conditions using a convenient drop-down control instead of having to browse for DITAVAL files.
Set DITAVAL Filter File in DITA Map Pane

Focus on a Deliverable by Only Showing Content That is Not Excluded by a DITA Context

For content that is excluded by a DITAVAL context filter, you can now easily choose whether to hide it or show it as grayed out. By hiding the excluded content, you can preview the document in its final publication form.

General Editing Improvements

Emojis Supported in Document Content

You can insert emojis within document content and they are now rendered properly.

Outline Pane Distinguishes Nodes Filtered by DITAVAL

The Outline pane now presents as grayed-out nodes that are filtered by the current DITAVAL file that is applied to the document, making it easier to distinguish which nodes are filtered by the DITAVAL.
Outline Pane Distinguishes Nodes Filtered by DITAVAL

Outline Pane Automatically Scrolls and Expands Nodes When Dragging

When dragging a node within the Outline pane, the outline tree now automatically scrolls along with the movement to make it easier to precisely drop the node where needed. Furthermore, dragging a node over a collapsed entry now automatically expands it so that you can precisely choose where it should be dropped within the expanded entry.
Outline Pane Automatically Scrolls and Expands Nodes When Dragging

Split Action in Content Completion Automatically Inserts Required Child Element

When using the Split action within the content completion feature, if the initial element has a required first child element, it will automatically be added as an empty child element inside the newly created element so that after insertion the document stays valid.

Edit DocBook 5.2 Documents

Support was added for creating and editing DocBook 5.2 documents.

Concurrent Editing

Text Mode is Read-Only During Concurrent Editing Sessions

When using the Edit as XML action to enter the Text editing mode during an active concurrent editing session, the document is set as read-only to prevent overriding changes made by other collaborators in the current shared editing session. Previously, the text mode was unavailable during concurrent editing sessions.
Text Mode is Read-Only During Concurrent Editing Sessions

Markdown

Smart Paste Markdown Content

Markdown content that is pasted within DITA, DocBook, TEI, or XHTML documents in Web Author's visual editor is converted to the target vocabulary, similar to pasting web page content or MS Word content in those vocabularies.

Customization and Integration

Enable Authentication with GitHub or GitLab

A new option was added in the Security section within the Administration page to select the provider for application-level authentication. The possible providers that can be selected are: GitHub, GitLab, and GitLab Enterprise.
Enable Authentication with GitHub or GitLab

CSS Inspector Pane

A new CSS Inspector side-pane was added that lets you see the styling/formatting that has been applied to the selected element. It makes it easier to understand what CSS rules were involved in determining the style of an element. You can open the view by selecting About Element->Inspect Styles from the contextual menu.
CSS Inspector Pane

Download Logs from Administration Page

You can now troubleshoot the Web Author server more easily by downloading the server logs that are available from the Administration Page.

Framework Validation

You can now spot framework configuration problems in the new framework validation dialog box that appears when you upload the framework. This helps to keep your customized frameworks problem-free.

Line/Column URL Anchors Now Supported

When opening a file using a configured URL, it is now possible to use an anchor that has the line=#,column=# format. The anchor will point to the element located at the specified line and column number within the source of the XML document.

Impose DITAVAL Filtering Using a URL Parameter

A new URL parameter (show.excluded.content) can be used to control whether the content excluded by a DITAVAL filter is shown as grayed out or hidden. If the parameter is set to true, the content that is excluded by the DITAVAL filter is shown as grayed out while setting the parameter to false hides the excluded content.

Impose DITA Project File and Context Using URL Parameters

Two new URL parameters can be used to impose the DITA Project file and a Context for filtering the document. The dita.project.url parameter specifies the URL of the DITA Project file and optionally, you can use the dita.project.contextid parameter to specify the ID of a Context that is defined inside the project file.

Accelerate Git Project Loading Using the Hybrid Retrieve Strategy

Large Git projects now can have faster loading times due to the implementation of a new Hybrid Retrieve Strategy mode. By enabling this configuration, Git projects are loaded faster by using an in-memory clone during the loading process. The configuration option can be found in the Git plugin configuration page that can be reached from the Administration page.
Accelerate Git Project Loading Using the Hybrid Retrieve Strategy

API

Show URL Chooser With Specific URL Selected

A new JavaScript API (sync.api.UrlChooser.Context.setInitialUrl) can be used to show a URL chooser (file browser) with a specific URL selected to make it easy for users to choose a file that is in the same directory.

Add a Toolbar in a Side View

Two new API methods can be used to add a toolbar in the header of a side view. The getToolbarDescriptor method defines the structure of the toolbar, while the getToolbarActionsMap method creates an actions map that contains the custom actions that will be available in the toolbar.

Component Updates

JGit 6.8

The integrated JGit library was upgraded to version 6.8.0.202311291450-r.