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Editing XML Markup in Author Mode

Oxygen XML includes some useful actions that allow you to easily edit XML markup in Author mode. Most of these actions are available in the contextual menu and some of them have simple keyboard shortcuts.

Selecting XML Markup in Author Mode

Selecting XML tags in Oxygen XML is very simple with several methods for selecting entire elements:
  • Breadcrumb - Click the element (XML tag) on the breadcrumb displayed at the top of the editing window.
  • Outline View - Click the element name in the Outline view.
  • Full Tags Mode - While editing in Full Tags mode, click the start or end tag of the element in the editor.
  • Mouse Selection - While editing in Full Tags mode, click before the start tag of the element, drag the selection, and release the mouse button after the end tag.
  • Shift + Arrow Keys - While editing in Full Tags mode, place the cursor before the start tag of the element, press and hold Shift, and use the arrow keys to make the selection (including the end tag).
Note:
If the selection does not include the entire element (for example you do not include the end tag of the element), Oxygen XML will automatically close the appropriate tags when pasting the copied selection. This ensures that the pasted content will always result in well-formed XML.

Using the Breadcrumb in Author Mode

A breadcrumb on the top stripe indicates the path from document root to the current element. It can also be used as a helpful tool to insert and edit specific elements in the document structure.

Figure 1. Breadcrumb in Author Mode
The last element listed in the breadcrumb is the element at the current cursor position. The last element is also highlighted by a thin light blue bar for easier identification. Clicking an element from the breadcrumb selects the entire element in the editor area and each element provides a contextual menu with access to the following actions:
Edit Attributes
Opens the in-place attributes editor that allows you to easily edit the attributes of an element.
Edit Profiling Attributes
Allows you to select the profiling attributes that apply to a certain element.
Append child
Opens a content completion list that allows you to select an element to be inserted as a child of the selected element.
Insert before
Opens a content completion list that allows you to select an element to be inserted (as a sibling) before the selected element.
Insert after
Opens a content completion list that allows you to select an element to be inserted (as a sibling) after the selected element.
Cut
Removes the selected element and copies it to the clipboard, while preserving the styles of the content.
Copy
Copies the selected element to the clipboard, while preserving the styles of the copied content.
Paste
Pastes a well-formed element from the clipboard at currently selected position in the breadcrumb.
Paste before
Insert a well-formed element (from the clipboard) before the currently selected element.
Paste after
Insert a well-formed element (from the clipboard) after the currently selected element.
Paste as XML
Inserts clipboard content that is considered to be well-formed XML content, preserving its XML structure.
Delete
Deletes the currently selected element.
Toggle Comment
Encloses the currently selected element in a comment if the element is not commented, or removes the comment if it is commented.
Rename Element
Opens the Rename dialog box that allows you to rename the currently selected element and other elements with the same name.
Tip:
The tag names displayed in the breadcrumb can be customized with an Author mode extension class that implements the AuthorBreadCrumbCustomizer API. See the Oxygen SDK for more details.

Move Nodes

You can move XML nodes in the current document by using the following actions in the Refactoring submenu of the contextual menu (or from the Document > Markup menu):

Tip:
The easiest way to move nodes is to use the and shortcut keys.

Promote/Demote Nodes

You can easily promote or demote selected nodes (for example, within ordered lists or unordered lists) by using the following keyboard shortcuts:
Promote ()
Promotes an entirely selected node to be a sibling of its parent node (the list item is moved to the left). It also works for selections of multiple nodes as long as all the selected nodes are siblings (on the same hierarchical level).
Demote ()
Demotes an entirely selected node (the list item is moved to the right). It also works for selections of multiple nodes as long as all the selected nodes are siblings (on the same hierarchical level).

Join or Split Elements

You can join or split elements in the current document by using the following actions in the Refactoring submenu of the contextual menu (or from the Document > Markup menu):

Tip:
Specifically, the Delete or Backspace keys can be used to join block elements in the following situations:
  • The cursor is located before the end position of the first element and Delete key is pressed.
  • The cursor is located after the end position of the first element and Backspace key is pressed.
  • The cursor is located before the start position of the second element and Delete key is pressed.
  • The cursor is located after the start position of the second element and Backspace key is pressed.
If the element has no sibling or the sibling element has a different name, an Unwrap operation will be performed.

Rename Elements

You can rename elements by using the following action in the Refactoring submenu of the contextual menu (or from the Document > Markup menu):

Surround Content with Tags (Wrap)

You can surround a selection of content with tags (wrap the content) by using the following action in the Refactoring submenu of the contextual menu (or from the Document > Markup menu):

Unwrap the Content of Elements

You can unwrap the content of an element by using the following action in the Refactoring submenu of the contextual menu (or from the Document > Markup menu):

Tip:
Specifically, the Delete or Backspace keys can be used to unwrap the content of an element in the following situations:
  • The cursor is located before the start position of the element and Delete key is pressed.
  • The cursor is located after the start position of the element and Backspace key is pressed.
  • The cursor is located before the end position of the element and Delete key is pressed.
  • The cursor is located after the end position of the element and Backspace key is pressed.
If the element has no sibling or the sibling element has a different name, an Unwrap operation will be performed.

Remove Markup from Blocks of Content

You can remove the markup from the current element by highlighting the appropriate block of content and using the following action in the Refactoring submenu of the contextual menu (or from the Document > Markup menu):

Tip:
You can use the Delete or Backspace keys to remove markup, in which case the elements in the selected block will be unwrapped or joined with their sibling, or if the current element is empty, the element tags will be deleted.

Remove Text from Selected Markup

You can remove the text from elements by highlighting the appropriate block of content and using the following action in the Refactoring submenu of the contextual menu (or from the Document > Markup menu):

Other Refactoring Actions

You can also manage the structure of the markup by using the other specific XML refactoring actions that are available in the Refactoring submenu of the contextual menu:

Copying XML Content in Author Mode to the Clipboard

It is possible to copy the XML structure of a document to the system clipboard. Simply select the XML content in Author mode (for example, by selecting an element in the breadcrumb), and select Document > Edit > Copy as XML. The system clipboard will now contain the corresponding XML structure.