Released: Oct 11, 2023

Updates in V26.0

Funktionen

Oxygen AI Positron Assistant

• Unlock the Potential of AI with the Oxygen AI Positron Assistant add-on - Oxygen now offers the Oxygen AI Positron Assistant add-on, a powerful tool designed to enhance the productivity of writers by providing support for using AI-generated content with the Oxygen AI Positron service. Once the AI Positron Assistant add-on is installed, you gain access to two side views: the AI Positron Assistant and the AI Positron Chat. The AI Positron Assistant side-view offers a comprehensive interface for all AI actions and options, allowing you to leverage the full capabilities of AI technology. Meanwhile, the AI Positron Chat side-view presents real-time progress updates and results after triggering an action.
• AI Positron Actions - The AI Positron Assistant side-view and various menus contain a variety of AI-powered actions. For example, actions are available to provide helpful hints for your next writing steps, enhance the readability of your content, correct grammar errors, generate a short description or index terms, convert passive voice phrases to active, translate content, create marketing-related material, or even restructure parts of your document. Additional custom actions can also be configured in the add-on's preferences page.
• AI Chat View - The AI Positron Chat allows you to track the progress and view the results of triggered actions, along with the responses received from the AI platform. With actions available to insert the response within the document, preview the response insertion, or copy the response to the clipboard, you have complete control over the AI-generated content before it is incorporated into your document. You can also further refine the responses by sending messages directly to the AI Positron platform. It also supports storing favorite prompts and utilizing variables that expand to the selected content or the entire document, you can edit previously sent prompts, and a History drop-down allows you to revisit previous conversations and continue where you left off.
• Validation Fixes - When validation problems are displayed in Oxygen's Results pane, you can right-click on a problem and use the AI Positron Fix action to request assistance from the Oxygen AI Positron platform to resolve the issue. It will propose content in the AI Positron Chat view that can be used to solve the problem.
• AI Positron Preferences - The Oxygen AI Positron Assistant preferences page provides options for configuring custom actions and defining a context used in each action and chat request. This ensures that the AI-generated content is more relevant and aligned with your requirements, enhancing the overall quality of the responses. Additionally, the preferences page includes an option to cache identical requests. This feature works by sending fewer requests to the AI server, resulting in a faster and more efficient process.
• Change Default Model - The Oxygen AI Positron Assistant preferences page has an option for changing the default model (GPT 3.5 or GPT 4) to use for the chat view and for actions that do not explicitly specify a model.
• Custom AI Actions - In the Oxygen AI Positron Assistant preferences page, you can define a reference to a folder that contains custom actions, which can be easily created using Oxygen's new file wizard. The benefit of this feature is that it provides you with a seamless way to create, organize, and manage your custom actions to effectively leverage the power of AI technology within Oxygen.
• Custom Schematron Rules - The add-on contributes two XPath extension functions [ai:transform-content(instruction, content) and ai:verify-content(instruction, content)] that can be used from custom Schematron schemas or XML Refactoring actions to rephrase content or to perform validation checks on existing content.
• Record Examples for a Set of Instructions - Added the Record button which enables you to provide a set of instructions and record a collection of examples directly in the editing area to assist the AI in better understanding the given instructions. This allows you to save the final result in two useful ways: as a favorite prompt in the AI Positron Chat side-view that you can easily access and reuse it in future interactions with the AI Positron Assistant; or as an AI Positron action for you to streamline repetitive tasks and automate certain actions.

DITA Authoring

• Apply Colors and Styles from DITAVAL Files When Editing - You can use a DITAVAL filter file to flag specific content with colors and styles. Now you can automatically apply those colors and styles to render the content in the editor by enabling a new setting called Automatically apply colors and styles from DITAVAL files referenced in the Main Files folder.
• Create New DITA Topic from a Selection of Content - This feature greatly simplifies the process of extracting and organizing parts of a document into separate topics, making your editing experience more efficient and streamlined. When editing a DITA topic in Author mode, you now have access to a new action called Extract Topic From Selection. You can find this action both in the contextual menu and in the main DITA menu allowing you to effortlessly create a new DITA topic from a selection within the current topic.
• Improved Support for Non-ASCII File Names and IDs - Several improvements and bug fixes have been implemented to enhance the editing experience for DITA projects that include file names and IDs containing non-ASCII characters (such as Japanese or Chinese). One notable improvement is that when creating new DITA topics using the various available methods, Oxygen can now generate file names and IDs that contain non-ASCII characters (for such cases, the non-ASCII characters were previously omitted, resulting in DITA topics with confusing names). This ensures that your project can accurately represent and handle content in various languages.
• Chinese Translations for Static Text Labels - Static text labels that are presented in the visual DITA editor (such as the labels for notes: Tip, Warning, Important, etc.) are now translated into Chinese if the xml:lang attribute is set to zh-CN in the topic's root element. Previously, Chinese translations were not supported for the static text. With this update, users can now enjoy a fully localized experience, allowing for easier understanding and navigation of the visual editor.
• Distinct Icons for References to Glossary Items in DITA Maps Manager - The DITA Maps Manager now presents distinct icons for references to glossentry and glossgroup topics. Previously, those types of topics shared the same icon with other types of topics, so this enhancement makes it easier to distinguish them, improving visual clarity and streamlining the management of DITA maps.

DITA Publishing

• Bundled DITA-OT Updated to Version 4.1.1 - The bundled DITA-OT distribution has been updated to version 4.1.1, which contains:
  • The latest grammar files for the upcoming DITA 2.0.
  • The latest grammar files for the upcoming LightWeight DITA standard.
  • A new PDF (XSL-FO based) theme plugin (com.elovirta.pdf).
  • Improvements and bug fixes for the org.lwdita Markdown conversion plugin.
  • Many other small improvements and bug fixes.
• "Insert Label" Editing Action Added to Assist with Finding Related Topics in WebHelp Responsive Output - The WebHelp Responsive output recognizes a special label keyword in topics to provide support for finding all the topics marked with the same label. By assigning a label to related topics, it allows the user to quickly locate and navigate relevant content, improving the experience of users interacting with your documentation. To support this functionality, a new Insert Label action is now available in both the Insert submenu within the DITA menu and the contextual menu when editing DITA topics in Author mode. This action allows you to easily insert the special label keyword in the prolog of the DITA topic.
• Support for XPath Expressions in SVG Templates for CSS-based PDF - You can now leverage XPath expressions to dynamically populate and modify elements in your SVG templates, resulting in more personalized and tailored PDF outputs. SVG files with the file extension .template.svg are considered by the CSS-based PDF transformations to be SVG templates and by default, the XPath expressions that have a format of ${expression} in the SVG template files will be replaced with the value that corresponds to that expression. This behaviour is controlled by the expand.xpath.in.svg.templates parameter.
• Semantic Search - A Semantic search is a data searching technique that delivers more accurate results by understanding the real intent behind the search and providing an enhanced user experience. Oxygen XML WebHelp now supports semantic searches to help produce more relevant search results. This feature requires an integration with the OpenAI platform by specifying an API key.
• Faceted Search - A Faceted search allows users to refine their search results by applying multiple filters that correspond to different properties or "facets" of the information being sought. WebHelp users can select one or more of these facets, and the search engine will return only the results that match all selected facets.
• Advanced Search Queries - Oxygen XML WebHelp integrates the Oxygen Feedback Search Engine, which supports advanced query syntax that allows users to create more complex, flexible, and useful queries to help make the search results more precise. Some examples of these supported advanced queries include phrase searches, regular expression searches, and proximity searches.

Author

• Tracked Changes are More Visible When Renaming Elements - When renaming an XML element in the Author visual editing mode with change tracking enabled, the change is now tracked as an element deletion followed by the newly renamed element insertion. This enhancement provides a more accurate representation of the changes made during the renaming process.
• Combine Multiple Content Completion Rules in the Configuration File - Content Completion Configuration (cc_config.xml) files provide a simple and efficient way to configure the content completion proposals Oxygen offers to users for a specific document type. By default, when defining rules in a content completion configuration file, if multiple rules match a certain element context, then only the first one that matches is applied. Now it is possible to combine multiple rules by setting the merge="true" attribute on the rules that match a single element context. This allows for a more intuitive and flexible way of specifying the content completion behavior via content completion configuration files.

JSON

• Dedicated Outline View Added for JSON Diagram Editor - A dedicated Outline view has been added for the JSON Diagram editor. It presents all of the properties, pattern properties, and definitions found in the document, making it easy to navigate to a specific item within the document. You can also drag items from the Outline view and drop them into an appropriate location in the diagram editor.
• Improved Property Renaming in JSON Diagram Editor - When renaming a property in the JSON Diagram mode, the required property field is now automatically updated by either modifying the property accordingly or deleting it from the array. This feature is particularly useful for keeping the validity of the JSON schema when a property is renamed or removed, saving you time and effort by eliminating the need to manually update the schema and preventing any inconsistencies or errors.
• Oxygen Can Learn Document Structure When JSON Schema is not Detected - If no JSON schema is associated with a JSON document, Oxygen can learn the document structure by parsing the document internally to provide an initialization source for content completion and validation. To facilitate this process, a pair of actions (Learn Structure and Save Structure) are now available in the Document->JSON Document menu that can be used to create a new JSON schema document from the learned structure of the current JSON document.

YAML

• Full Support for Creating, Editing, and Validating YAML Documents - With Oxygen's specialized YAML editor, you can streamline your YAML editing process, making it easier to create, edit, and manage YAML files. Boost your productivity and accuracy with the extensive range of features designed specifically for YAML editing.
• Configuration Wizard Page Added for Creating New YAML Documents - When using the new document wizard to create a new YAML document, a Customize option is now available. This feature allows you to configure the generation of new YAML documents based on a specified JSON schema, ensuring consistency and adherence to predefined rules.
• Go to Definition Action Added for YAML Documents - The Go to Definition action has been added in the contextual menu when editing YAML documents. It allows for easy navigation to the definition of the current key, provided that a JSON schema is associated with the YAML document and that schema contains a definition for the key.
• Open Associated Schema in YAML - A new action is now available for YAML documents to open the associated schema. With this new action, you can easily open the associated schema for your YAML document, providing a seamless way to validate and enhance your work.
• Enhanced Visibility for the Space Character in the YAML Text Editor - Space characters are now more visible and distinguishable with the addition of vertical lines to help preserve proper indentation. This enhancement aims to improve the overall readability and editing experience of your YAML files. With the latest update, a new option has been added called 'Show SPACE marks for YAML'. Enabled by default, it controls whether or not the vertical lines are displayed in the editor.

XSLT / XQuery / XPath

• XSLT and XQuery Transformation and Debugging Updated to Use Saxon Version 12.3 - The built-in Saxon processor from Saxonica used for XSLT and XQuery transformations and debugging was updated to version 12.3.
• Content Completion Support for the New Saxon Extension Functions - Saxon added more extension functions and instructions in the Saxon namespace, as well as experimental implementations for version 4.0 extensions. These functions are now supported and included in the list of proposals of the content completion assistant. Some examples include: fn:all(), fn:all-different(), fn:all-equal(), fn:characters(), fn:contains-sequence(), fn:ends-with-sequence(), fn:expanded-QName(), fn:foot(), fn:deep-equal(), fn:parse-uri(), fn:xdm-to-json(), and many more.
• Some Saxon Functions Have Been Dropped in Saxon 12.3 - The saxon:evaluate(), saxon:eval(), and saxon:expression() extension functions have been dropped, but the same effects (and more) can be achieved using the xsl:evaluate standard XSLT 3.0 instruction. Also, the saxon:parse-html() extension function is now synonymous for fn:parse-html() (a new function proposed for XPath 4.0). If you use any of these functions you will need to update your code before using Saxon 12.3.
• XPath 4.0 Syntax Extensions - XPath 4.0 syntax extensions are now fully supported.
• Improved XPath Expressions Handling for the Extract Function Refactoring Action - When using the Extract Function action (found in the contextual menu's Refactoring submenu) to extract XSLT functions, XPath expressions are rebuilt based on the current context. The context is passed as a parameter in the newly created function. This ensures that the extracted functions seamlessly integrate into the existing code, providing a more efficient and reliable development process.
• Content Completion for New AI-based XPath Extension Functions - Two new AI functions are now available in the content completion proposals for XSLT, XQuery, XPath, and Schematron. The ai:transform-content(instruction, content) function can be used to rephrase content and the ai:verify-content(instruction, content) function can be used to perform validation checks on the existing content. These extension functions are added by the Oxygen AI Positron Assistant plugin, enabling the use of AI-based processing from XPath expressions.

XML Refactoring

• Default Resources Filter Pattern in XML Refactoring Actions - Some refactoring actions can be applied on specific documents, providing a way to select only those documents. A new optional filesFilter attribute can now be used in the descriptor file when creating custom refactoring operations to specify a default resources filter by using a file pattern or list of file patterns separated by a comma (e.g. filesFilter="*.dita, *.xml" will select only the files with either .dita or .xml extensions).

File Comparison

• Merge Documents with Change Tracking Highlights - A new Merge Documents with Change Tracking Highlights action is now available in the Tools menu. It can be used to merge two XML files (based on a 2-way mode comparison). All the files involved in the process are merged by saving the visual comparison results as a separate document with highlighted tracked changes that can later be reviewed and accepted or rejected.
• Merge Directories with Change Tracking Highlights - A new Merge Directories with Change Tracking Highlights action is now available in the Tools menu. It can be used to merge two directories (based on a 2-way mode comparison). All pairs of modified XML files involved in the process are merged by saving the visual comparison results as documents with highlighted tracked changes that can later be reviewed, with the option to accept or reject these changes.
• Save Comparison as New Document with Tracked Changes - The file comparison tool now has a new action in the File menu called Save Comparison as Document with Tracked Changes. This action allows you to merge two compared documents based on the differences detected and save the results as a specified file that includes the special change tracking marks. You can load the resulting file in Oxygen's Author mode so you can conveniently accept or reject the changes, ensuring accurate and efficient collaboration on your documents.

Markdown

• Syntax Highlights Improved for Markdown Files With LaTeX Equations - The syntax highlights have been improved for Markdown content, making it easier for you to work with LaTeX equations within your Markdown files, allowing for more efficient editing and seamless integration of mathematical expressions.

Add-on Updates

• OpenAPI Documentation Generator Improvements - The following improvements have been added to the OpenAPI Documentation Generator add-on:
  • An option has been added to transform the OpenAPI content into DITA or PDF output.
  • The examples element is now rendered when transforming to HTML output.
  • A detailed warning message is now displayed when the transformation's target file has unsaved changes.
• Git Client Improvements - Various improvements have been made to the Git Client add-on:
  • Large File Support (LFS) is now integrated. This means that if you have installed LFS and specified which extensions represent large or binary files that should be uploaded through LFS, they will be automatically detected and handled correctly.
  • When you clone a repository, the Git Client automatically detects and opens Oxygen project files. This feature simplifies the process of working with Oxygen projects that are stored in a Git repository.
  • The project detection mechanism has been improved when opening a new repository in the Staging view.
  • When checking out a branch, submodules in parent repositories are now checked out at the index defined in the parent repository. This ensures that the submodules reflect the actual state of the parent repository at that time.
  • The integrated JGit library has been upgraded to version 6.7.
  • Various messages in the user interface have been improved.
  • Various bug fixes have been implemented. For example, an issue has been fixed where untracked files were not being restored from a stash.
• Batch Documents Converter Improvements - Several enhancements have been made to the Batch Documents Converter add-on, including corrections for the OpenAPI to DITA, Word to HTML/DITA, Confluence to DITA conversions, and updates to its components.

Scripting

• The All Platforms distribution of Oxygen is bundled with a scripts sub-folder that contains scripts for automating and running various utilities from a command line interface. To run any of these scripts, you need to purchase a scripting license.
  • Merge Files with Change Tracking Highlights - A new Merge Files with Change Tracking Highlights script is available. It can be used to merge two XML files (based on a 2-way mode comparison) with highlighted tracked changes that can later be reviewed and accepted or rejected.
  • Merge Directories with Change Tracking Highlights - A new Merge Directories with Change Tracking Highlights script is available. It can be used to merge two directories (based on a 2-way mode comparison) with highlighted tracked changes. All pairs of modified XML files involved in the process are merged by saving the visual comparison results as documents with tracked changes highlighted that can later be reviewed and accepted or rejected.
  • New option for Compare Directories script - A new option has been added to the Compare Directories script. With the inclusion of the (-enx XPathExprToExcludeNodes) option, users can now exclude specific nodes from the comparison using XPath expressions.
  • XPath Expressions Supported in Generate HTML Report for Directory Comparison Tool - An XPath expression specified in the Ignore nodes by XPath text field (in the Options->Preferences->Diff->Files Comparison preferences page) is now taken into account if you opt to generate additional file comparison reports.

Other

• Application Now Uses Trusted Root Certificates From the Microsoft Windows Certificate Store - By default, the application now uses the trusted root certificates from the Windows certificate store to improve coverage for HTTPS certificate validation in corporate environments.

Component Updates

• Oxygen (desktop and Eclipse plugin) now requires a minimum version of Java Virtual Machine 17 to run.
• Upgraded the bundled version of OpenJDK in the installation kits to provide the latest Java Runtime Environment, now at version 17.0.8.
• Updated the Apache Batik toolkit to version 1.17.
• Updated the Apache FOP library to version 2.9.
• Updated the Apache Xalan XSLT processor to version 2.7.3.
• Updated the XProc Calabash engine to version 1.5.7-120.
• Updated the bundled DITA Open Toolkit to version 4.1.1.
• Updated the Eclipse plugin to support version 4.29. Note that starting with version 4.28, the Eclipse IDE requires Java 17 or higher.
• Updated the EPUBCheck tool used to validate EPUB resources to version 5.1.0.
• Updated the Jackson JSON libraries to version 2.15.0.
• Oxygen 26 has been fully tested on Apple macOS 14 (Sonoma) and it is now officially supported.
• The Oxygen License Server now supports Microsoft Windows Server 2022.
• The Oxygen License Server installers now bundle Eclipse Adoptium Temurin 17.
• Updated the SnakeYAML library to version 2.2.
• Updated the bundled TEI schemas to version 4.6.0.
• Updated the bundled TEI XSLT stylesheets to version 7.55.0.
• The previously deprecated support for the Berkeley DB XML database connection has now been removed.
• The DocBook WebHelp Classic transformation scenario has been marked as deprecated and may be removed in a future major version.

API

• Open Preview Changes in Files Dialog - A new API method (openPreviewDialog) has been added in the ro.sync.exml.workspace.api.standalone.DiffAndMergeTools API. It can be used to display a dialog box that shows a preview of the changes between the original and modified versions of the resources.
• Merge Changes between Two Files - A new API method (openMergeApplication) has been added in the ro.sync.exml.workspace.api.standalone.DiffAndMergeTools API. It can be used to display a dialog box that shows differences between two files and you can save changes.
• Display Warning Message - A new API method (showWarningDialog) has been added in the ro.sync.exml.workspace.api.WorkspaceUtilities API. It can be used to display a warning message dialog box.