Move related topics to sidebar- XHTML output

[hamonwry]

We are using Bootstrap 4 with XHTML output from DITA-OT 1.8.5 to create a two-column layout. I would like to place the related topics in the right column.

However, in the dita2htmlImpl.xsl stylesheet, it seems that the chapterBody template is pulling in everything from each topic using <apply-templates>, so I'm having difficulty separating the related topics from the content. Using float:right in the CSS has no effect.

Can someone guide me how to do this? Do I need to modify each taskdisplay/conceptdisplay/refdisplay stylesheet?

Thanks,
Ed.

[Costin]

Hi hamonwry,

The DITA Open Toolkit 1.8.5 is an older, deprecated DITA OT which is no longer maintained. Therefore, unless you specifically need to use that older version, I suggest using the DITA OT 2.x
Unfortunately, as XHTML transformation is a DITA OT specific transformation, not an oXygen specific one and because we do not have enough human resources to customize all DITA OT specific transformations, I'm afraid we could not help you much regarding this.
What I can recommend though, is to give the DITA Map WebHelp Responsive transformation scenario a try, instead of working with Bootstrap and XHTML, as the Webhelp Responsive is based on both Bootstrap and XHTML. You might obtain results similar to the ones you expect this way. Any feedback on that scenario is welcome.

Also, as I am pretty sure there might be DITA experts who could provide you in-depth guidance oriented on your needs, better than we could offer, I recommend asking for help on the DITA User Lists:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/dita-users/info

Best Regards,
Costin