Oxygen XML Forum

Hi,
Our authors use XMetaL across the SDL Authoring Bridge and XMetaL adds in a <?xm-replace_text?> processing instruction to resolve names of topics linked to in cross references.
Does Oxygen apply this same PI for topics authored across the SDL Authoring Bridge?
Any advice appreciated,
Regards,
Ann

Hi Ann,

Oxygen does not use this processing instruction in any way, when in a DITA topic you have a cross reference to another DITA topic and the xref has no text inside it Oxygen retrieves the title of the target topic dynamically when you open the XML document containing the link. So it does not "cache" that title inside a processing instruction.

Regards,
Radu

Thanks for your reply Radu.
When you say

Oxygen retrieves the title of the target topic dynamically when you open the XML document containing the link.

does the linked-to topic have to exist locally along with the XML document containing the link?
Or does Oxygen go across the SDL Authoring Bridge to source the title if it's not available locally?
Thanks again,
Ann

Hi Ann,

Most CMS integrations (including SDL) work with a custom URL protocol implemented by the browser vendor with an Oxygen plugin, so when I open in Oxygen a resource from the SDL browser view implemented by SDL as an Oxygen plugin, Oxygen opens an URL like "sdl://path/to/topic.dita" and asks SDK for the content.
When topic.dita has an xref like <xref href="target.dita"/>, Oxygen creates an absolute URL for the reference like "sdl://path/to/target.dita" and again asks the SDL connector for the content. The SDL plugin/connector may retrieve the content from the server or it may have also a small local cache (which it does from what I know) to avoid retrieving the same resource's content twice.

Regards,
Radu

Hi Radu,
Is there any configuration that I can do to Oxygen XML Author or Editor to mimic the way that XMetaL inserts the PI <?xm-replace_text?> for a cross reference to a RWS topic?
Ideally such topic with a cross reference would show that topic title when rendered in RWS Publication Manager but this only works when the xref was added via XMetaL and not Oxygen XML Author.
Any advice appreciated,
Regards,
Ann

Hi Ann,
I do not know how XMetal works, do they insert that processing instruction automatically when the action to insert a link is called? What does that processing instruction contain? We do not have such an equivalent in Oxygen. We have APIs which would allow someone to implement a plugin or framework to auto change certain pieces of content after a link is inserted.
We do not have such a feature in Oxygen, is this a problem with how the link is rendered in Oxygen or in the RWS web editing tool?
Regards,
Radu

Hi Radu,
To answer your questions
do they insert that processing instruction automatically when the action to insert a link is called?
Yes, after inserting a cross reference to a Tridion Docs topic, XMetaL automatically inserts between the <xref> tags.

What does that processing instruction contain? We have APIs which would allow someone to implement a plugin or framework to auto change certain pieces of content after a link is inserted.
We do not have such a feature in Oxygen, is this a problem with how the link is rendered in Oxygen or in the RWS web editing tool?
The xref renders fine in Oxygen XML Author showing the topic title in author view for the xref. However, after checking topic back in to the CMS and opening in the RWS Publication Manager tool HTML view, it shows a hyperlink for xref with [Link text cannot be resolved]
If the <?xm-replace_text ?> PI exists in the <xref> then it uses the text associated with that (which is the topic title) for the hyperlink text.

Regards,
Ann

Hi Ann,
This does not seem like a problem related to Oxygen's functionality, SDL has a plugin for Oxygen (plugin which you probably have installed on your side to connect to their CMS), maybe you can convince them to use our APIs in order to detect when a link is added and make the relevant changes from their plugin.
Regards,
Radu

Thanks for the advice Radu, I will try that.
Regards,
Ann