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Configuring the Layout of the Views and Editors

All of the side-views available in Oxygen XML are dockable and there are various ways to configure and arrange the layout of the views and editing panes. You can also configure the layout of the toolbars.

To open a view, select it from the Window > Show View menu. You can hide a view by closing it with the button at the top-right corner of the view, or with the Window > Hide current view action.

Arranging the Layout

You can drag any view to any margin of another view or editor inside the Oxygen XML window. Once you create a layout that suits your needs, you can save it from Window > Export Layout. Oxygen XML creates a layout file containing the preferences of the saved layout. To load a layout, go to Window > Load Layout. To reset it, select Window > Reset Layout.

Note:

The Load Layout menu lets you select between the default layout, a predefined layout, or a custom layout. The changes you make using the Load Layout menu are also reflected in the Application Layout preferences page.

The changes you make to any layout are preserved between working sessions. The predefined layout files are saved in the preferences directory of Oxygen XML.

You can drag the editors and arrange them in any order, both horizontally and vertically.

The following image presents two editors arranged as horizontal tiles. To arrange them vertically, drag one of them on top of the other. In the following example, the personal.xml file was dragged over the personal-schema.xml file:

Hide or Float Views

Hide: To gain more editing space in the Oxygen XML window, click Toggle auto-hide in any view. This button sets the view in the auto-hide state, making it visible only as a vertical tab, at the margins of the Oxygen XML window. To display a view in the auto-hide state, hover its side-tab with your cursor, or click it to keep the view visible until you click elsewhere.
Float: A view can also be set to a floating state by using the Toggle floating action, making it independent from the rest of the Oxygen XML window.

Maximize the Editing Environment

You can configure the interface to maximize the editing area, leaving more vertical screen space available for the main editing pane. This is, for example, useful for presentations on low-resolution screens or for laptops with small screen space. You can use the following two actions that are available in the Window menu to create a near full-screen editing environment:

Maximize Editor Area: If toggled on, all side views are minimized to give you more horizontal space in the editing pane.
Hide All Toolbars: If toggled on, all toolbar buttons are hidden to give you more vertical space in the interface.

Tile/Stack Editor Actions

You can also tile or stack all open editors using the following actions from the toolbar or Window menu:

Tile Editors Horizontally: Splits the editing area into horizontal tiles, one for each open file.
Tile Editors Vertically: Splits the editing area into vertical tiles, one for each open file.
Stack Editors: The reverse of the Tile Editors Horizontally/Vertically actions. Stacks all open editors.
Synchronous Scrolling: Select this action to scroll through the tiled editors at the same time.

Note:

When tiled, you can still drag and drop the editors, but note that they are docked in the same way as a window/view (instead of just tabs). You are actually rearranging the editor windows, so drag the editor tab and drop it to one of the sides of an editor (left/right/top/bottom). While dragging, you will see the dark gray rectangle aligned to one of the sides of the editor, or around the entire editor window. If you drop it to one of the sides, it will dock to that side of the editor. If you drop it when the rectangle is around the entire window of the editor, it will get stacked on top of that editor. You can also grab one of the stacked editors and tile it to one of the sides.

Split Editor Actions

You can divide the editing area vertically and horizontally using the following actions available in the toolbar and Window menu:

Split Editor Horizontally - Splits the editor horizontally so that two editor panes are displayed with one on top of the other. This is useful for comparing and merging content between two documents.
Split Editor Vertically - Splits the editor vertically so that two editor panes are displayed side by side. This is useful for comparing and merging content between two documents.
Unsplit Editor - Removes a split action on the editing area.

To maximize or restore the editors, go to Window > Maximize Editing Area.

Switch, Move, or Hide Editor Tabs

Switching Editor Tabs

Moving Editor Tabs

Hiding Editor Tabs

Resources

For more information about configuring the interface of Oxygen XML, watch our video demonstration:

Tip:

To get more ideas for more advanced customization possibilities, watch our Webinar: Working with DITA in Oxygen - Customizing the Editing Experience. It offers a visual demonstration of how to customize actions, document validation, content completion, new document templates, Author mode rendering, and more.