Custom DITA framework breaks drag&drop in Oxygen 24

[Frank Ralf]

Hi,

We use a custom DITA framework. Drag&drop of images (and topic references) did work with Oxygen 21 but now is broken in Oxygen 24. I need some pointer where to look for the culprit, probably some Java library?

Best regards,
Frank

[adrian_sorop]

Hi,
I need some context. Drag and drom from X to Y.
How was your custom framework created? Extended the DITA framework with Oxygen or copy-paste the DITA folder and changed things there?
BR,
Adrian S

[Frank Ralf]

Hi Adrian,

Thanks for the quick reply. Regarding your questions:

• Drag the image from Project view to the topic in Author mode.

• Copy&paste of the complete DITA folder.

Best regards,
Frank

[adrian_sorop]

Hi Frank,
Here's the problem...

Copy&paste of the complete DITA folder.

Frameworks customization should be carried out with Oxygen's extension mechanism:
1) Open Oxygen Preferences
2) Go to the Document Type Association preferences page
3) Select an existing framework configuration (DITA)
4) Use the Extend button to create an extension for it
5) Change the newly created framework as you please.

If the copy-paste procedure is used, when you want to upgrade you will end up with a framework that uses "old code" with new Oxygen.
You can try this "hack" as a temporary solution (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't).
Copy the "dita.jar" from [Oxygen_24 _install_dir]/frameworks/dita and replace the dita.jar from in your current framework.
Just to be safe, make a backup of your dita.jar before replacing it..

If this doesn't work, you'll have to rewrite your framework in the correct manner.
Even if the hack works, I strongly recommend to properly extend the framework.

Have a nice day,
Adrian S.

[chrispitude]

Hi Adrian,

I have a somewhat related question.

We have a DITA framework extension. I noticed that when we upgrade to newer versions of Oxygen, sometimes the framework file will change a bit. (I know this because Git tells me there are new contents in the file.)

Does Oxygen "maintain" this framework extension file in some way as newer versions use them?

[adrian_sorop]

Hi,
The extension file contains a copy of the original document type.
When certain options are modified, the copy of the base is also modified, thus the changes that appear in Git.
Regards,
Adrian S.

[Frank Ralf]

Hi Adrian,

Many thanks for the quick reply! We are aware that the copy&paste approach is not very robust but it allows for an easier roll-out of the framework together with the customized DITA-OT plugins. And in the past, the customer only upgraded their Oxygen version very seldom. This has changed now, so we will definitely look into the extension approach.

Best regards,
Frank

[adrian_sorop]

Great!
Here are some resources to get you started with the framework extension:
Using extension script
Webinar: Creating Frameworks Using an Extension Script (use case #2, but use case #1 is also interesting)
Creating a Custom Framework Starting from an Existing Framework
Using Dialogs
Creating a Framework through the Configuration Dialog
Regards,
Adrian S.

[Frank Ralf]

Hi Adrian,

As a quick hack, I replaced the dita.jar file in the framework which seems to have solved the current problem. But we will definitely keep your suggestions in mind for future framework customizations and updates.

Thanks again for your kind help!
Frank