What's New in Oxygen XML Editor 28.0
November 26, 2025
Oxygen XML Editor 28 delivers a major upgrade to its AI capabilities and productivity tools for content authors, developers, and publishers.
It uses Oxygen AI Positron 8.0 to bring more project-aware, "agentic" assistance into everyday XML, DITA, and JSON work, with new chat modes, AI-powered file creation and refactoring tools, Model Context Protocol integration, AI Autocompletion, and automatic validation and repair of AI-generated XML. Expanded AI model support includes new connectors for Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, AWS Bedrock, and xAI Grok, alongside the existing OpenAI and Azure OpenAI Service, and support for the latest advanced models.
DITA users benefit from a redesigned DITA Maps Manager, enhanced topic search, and improved handling of DITA-compatible resources. Publishing and WebHelp see usability improvements, new PDF options, and an AI-friendly output format.
XSLT, XQuery, and XProc upgrades bring updated engines, improved editing, and new refactoring tools. Comparison and productivity enhancements include advanced directory comparison, main file management, and flexible validation reporting. Updated add-ons, such as Git Client and Terminology Checker further extend Oxygen’s capabilities.
There are changes in:
AI Enhancements Powered by Oxygen AI Positron
Oxygen XML Editor 28.0 ships with Oxygen AI Positron 8.0, so all
functionality added in Positron 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0 becomes available in this release.
The following highlights the most important AI additions for Desktop and Eclipse. For a
comprehensive overview, see the complete list of new features introduced in version 8.0 on
our website: What's New in
Oxygen AI Positron 8.0.
A New Unified Oxygen AI Positron Add-on (Desktop)
For Oxygen desktop tools, the former Oxygen AI Positron
Assistant and Oxygen AI Positron Assistant Enterprise add-ons
are now combined into a single Oxygen AI Positron add-on. Non-Enterprise
setups gain functionality that was previously available only when connecting to a custom
AI provider (such as MCP support), while Enterprise-licensed users can connect both to
their own AI provider and to the Oxygen AI Positron Service.
Oxygen AI Positron Available for Eclipse
The Oxygen AI Positron for Eclipse add-on is available in the
Eclipse plugin distributions of Oxygen XML Editor/Author/Developer, providing the Oxygen
AI Positron view and actions inside Eclipse. In Enterprise setups, you can use Oxygen AI
Positron in any single-page editor (including Java, C/C++, Python, Perl, and plain text),
take advantage of an Oxygen framework for editing custom AI action descriptors with
templates and visual helpers, install or update the add-on using Eclipse update sites, and
use AI-enabled new file templates for XSLT, XSD, Schematron, JSON Schema, and DTD
files.
Smarter Project Context and Saved Memories
The Generate agent instructions action creates a
project-specific context prompt (Markdown file) that captures the
structure and conventions of your project and is used in chat and AI actions. You can
supplement it with additional context files in the Oxygen AI Positron preferences. When
you ask the AI to remember rules about your activity or profile, they are stored as
Saved Memories and automatically applied in all future
interactions.
Agentic Chat Modes and In-Chat Tools
The Chat view provides three chat modes:
Agent, DITA Agent, and Ask, all of
which automatically use your current project, document, and (for DITA) map context. New
tools such as search_in_project, grep_project,
list_dir, and edit_document, together with XML
refactoring tools available directly in chat, allow the AI to explore your
project, search, refactor, and perform precise edits as part of agentic
workflows.
Model Context Protocol Integration
Oxygen AI Positron can connect to Model Context Protocol (MCP)
servers, loading tools defined in MCP configuration files so they can be
invoked by the AI from chat and custom AI actions. This lets agentic workflows call
external tools and data sources in a controlled way, alongside the built-in Oxygen AI
Positron tools. Oxygen XML can also act as an experimental local MCP
server, allowing compatible desktop AI assistants (such as Claude Desktop) to
start Oxygen and use its validation, editing, and XML refactoring capabilities as MCP
tools.
AI-Driven File Creation, DITA Conversion, and Documentation Drafts
AI-powered New File Creation lets you provide a prompt and
attach files when creating a new document, with the generated content shown in the Oxygen
AI Positron view, where you can continue refining it. In the File
Creation category, additional AI actions can generate XSLT, XSD,
Schematron, JSON Schema, and DTD files from a short text description, and
AI-powered templates are available in the new file wizard. Using a
save_document callback, Oxygen AI Positron can create or update files
while you review changes in the visual file comparison tool. AI-based DITA
conversion and analysis actions can convert topics to Task, Concept, Reference,
Troubleshooting, or Glossary and split large topics into smaller ones, while
documentation drafts can be generated from configuration files that
optionally reference external text or document files.
AI Autocompletion and Enhanced Developer Tools
A new AI Autocompletion feature provides real-time,
context-aware code and markup suggestions (e.g. XSLT, XSD, JSON Schema, or Schematron) at
the caret and can be invoked with the Autocomplete action. The
Generate Code action now includes the structure of associated XML or
instances in its prompts for better results and can be triggered from the editor using
Ctrl+G / Command+G. AI development actions (Generate Code, Explain Code, Chat
About Code) support more document types (including HTML, XHTML, XProc, XSpec),
making it easier to generate, review, and discuss code across a wider range of
documents.
Automatic Validation and Correction of AI-Generated XML
AI-generated content inserted into documents is automatically
validated, and when errors are detected, the AI attempts to
correct them. This behavior is controlled through a dedicated option in
the Oxygen AI Positron preferences. The AI Positron Fix action uses more
context when needed, expanding the analyzed region for complex issues, and additional
options let you decide when automatic validation and correction are applied (full
documents, fragments, or inserted content).
Rich Attachment and Screenshot Workflow
You can attach Word (DOCX), PowerPoint (PPTX), and PDF files
to AI conversations, with text and images preserved in their original order for more
accurate responses. Files and images can be added via drag and drop, copy/paste,
or the Attach action, including when editing previously sent prompts.
Attachments are displayed as chips in the chat input and conversation
area, and a dynamic selection chip represents the current editor
selection and can be referenced with
@selection. You can also
paste screenshots directly into the chat to quickly provide visual
context.
Expanded AI Models and Connectors
Oxygen AI Positron now supports a broader range of OpenAI
models (including GPT-4.1, GPT-5, and GPT-5.1 with the GPT-5.1 Thinking
variant) and reasoning models (such as o3, o1, o4-mini, and o3-mini) via
the Oxygen AI Positron Service. New connectors let you integrate with Anthropic
Claude, Google Gemini, Google Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock, and xAI
Grok, while the Microsoft Azure OpenAI connector adds OAuth
2.0 (Microsoft Entra ID) support and simplified configuration.
The Oxygen AI Positron Custom Connector add-on enables integration with custom AI services that expose OpenAI-compatible REST APIs.
DITA Editing
DITA Maps Manager Welcome Screen
When no DITA maps are open in the DITA Maps Manager view, you now
see a welcome screen with options to quickly create or open a DITA map, along with a list
of recently used DITA maps for easy access. This helps you start working faster and find
your recent work more easily.
Quick Find Filter Added in DITA Maps Manager
You can now quickly search and filter referenced topics in your DITA map using
the new search field and filtering options at the top of the DITA Maps Manager view. There
are also some new filtering toggle options, enabling you to search only in titles or
display results as a flat list to easily locate the resources you need.
Show Chunk Attribute on Tooltip in DITA Maps Manager
Now, you are able to see the value of the
chunk attribute for
each topic reference directly in the tooltip in the DITA Maps Manager, helping you quickly
identify which map nodes are chunked.References to DITA-Compatible Resources Expanded in Editor
When you open a DITA map with resolved topics (from the DITA Maps
Manager view), references to DITA-compatible resources such as Markdown documents
are now expanded and displayed as DITA XML directly in the editor. This lets you preview
the converted content before publishing.
DITA Publishing
See Publishing Progress in Status Bar
When you publish a DITA-OT project file, the status bar at the bottom of the
editor shows the ID of the deliverable currently being processed and the total number of
deliverables in the batch. This helps you track your publishing progress when working with
multiple deliverables.
Sticky Table Headers in WebHelp
You can now keep table headers visible as you scroll in DITA WebHelp output,
making it easier to follow information in large tables. Control this behavior with the new
webhelp.enable.sticky.table.headers transformation
parameter.Switch Between Light and Dark Theme in WebHelp Output
Switch between Light and Dark themes in WebHelp output to match your
preferences or browser settings. A new Switch Theme button in the header lets you choose
between Auto, Light, and Dark modes.
The Auto option adapts the interface to your browser's theme, while the Dark theme makes
reading more comfortable in low light environments.
All embedded Oxygen Feedback components, such as Comments, Page Rating, Block-Level Comments, AI Assistant, and AI-Enhanced Search Summary, automatically match the selected theme without additional configuration.
To enable this feature, set the
webhelp.enable.dark.mode parameter. For more information, see Oxygen
WebHelp Responsive User Guide: Dark Mode.
Full Screen Mode for WebHelp Responsive Output
You can now view WebHelp Responsive output in full screen mode by using the
Enter Fullscreen toolbar button. This is especially helpful for large,
wide screens. Also, this behavior can be controlled using the
webhelp.full.page.width parameter.Expand WebHelp Responsive Output to Full Width
Expand the WebHelp Responsive output to full width, making it easier to view
content on large screens. Use the Maximize to full width/Restore to normal
width button in the output to switch between full width and normal
width.
TOC State Now Persists in WebHelp Responsive Output
Your expanded or collapsed state for both the publication and topic TOC is now
preserved as you navigate between topics in WebHelp Responsive output. This way, you can
keep your preferred view while browsing content.
Display Tooltips for Table Cells in WebHelp Output
It is now possible to enable tooltips that are displayed in WebHelp output when
hovering over table cells, enhancing table readability by showing the corresponding
row/column for the hovered cell. You can enable this feature by setting the
webhelp.display.table.cell.tooltip parameter to
yes.Option to Compress PDF Output
When transforming DITA content to PDF (by using the HTML5 and CSS-based
transformation), you can use the new
pdf.compress parameter to reduce the
size of the PDF output, making it easier to store and share your files.Merge Multiple PDFs
Merge additional PDF documents with your output when transforming DITA content
to PDF (based on HTML5 and CSS). Use the new
chemistry.merge.before or
chemistry.merge.after parameters to specify which PDFs to include
before or after your main document. Generate Separate PDF Files for Each Chapter or Part
Generate individual PDF files for each chapter or part of your DITA publication
(when transforming to PDF using HTML5 and CSS). This allows you to provide separate PDFs
for each section, in addition to the complete book. To enable this, use the
args.css.param.pdf-split-mode parameter. Create Presentation PDFs
You can now generate PDF files styled as presentation slides (similar to
PowerPoint) from DITA content using the new Presentation publishing
template. Each topic starts on a new slide, and images and tables are centered, making it
easier to share your content in a presentation format. You can also customize the
appearance using the Oxygen Styles
Basket.
AI-Friendly WebHelp Output
You can now make your WebHelp Responsive output more accessible to AI and Large
Language Models (LLMs) by enabling the
webhelp.enable.ai.friendly
transformation parameter. This generates a llms.txt file and companion
Markdown files, giving LLMs a simplified view of your site content and a curated index of
the most relevant resources. Start Ordered Lists at a Specific Number
It is now possible to set the starting number of an ordered list by adding the
@outputclass="start-X" attribute to the list (where X
is the number you want the list to start from). This helps you continue numbering across
multiple lists or match specific formatting requirements.Visual Editing
Copy Visual Editor Content as Markdown or XML
It is now possible to copy selected content from the Author visual editing mode
as Markdown or XML using the contextual menu. This helps you preserve formatting such as
lists, tables, code blocks, or emphasized words when pasting the content
elsewhere.
Add Comment Action Available on Floating Toolbar
For frameworks such as DITA or DocBook, adding comments in any location of a
document is more convenient with the Add Comment action now available on
the floating toolbar.
Invoke AI Action Operation
If you have the optional AI Positron add-on installed, you can now create custom
Author actions capable of triggering custom
AI-powered tasks. This lets you integrate AI capabilities directly into your
editing workflows.
DocBook
Publish DocBook Topics Directly to PDF
Publish DocBook topic files directly to PDF using the DocBook to PDF
transformation scenario, without needing a DocBook assembly file. This streamlines the
publishing process for individual topics.
XSLT/XQuery
XSLT and XQuery Transformation and Debugging with Saxon 12.9
The built-in Saxon processor from Saxonica, used for XSLT and XQuery
transformations and debugging, has been updated to version 12.9. For the complete list of
changes, see the Saxonica Change History documentation.
Improved Editing for XSLT Text Value Templates in CDATA Sections
You can now use content completion and see syntax highlights when editing text
value templates inside CDATA sections in XSLT documents, making it easier to write and
review your templates.
Rename XSLT Parameters in Call-Template Invocations
The Refactoring->Rename action now also updates parameter
names in all call-template instructions, helping you keep your XSLT code consistent and
saving you time when refactoring complex projects.
Convert Between JSON and XML from XSLT
You can now use two new built-in Oxygen XPath extension functions,
oxy:json-to-xml() and oxy:xml-to-json(), to easily
convert data between JSON and XML formats directly from your XSLT stylesheets. These
functions are available in the content completion proposals when editing XPath expressions
in XSLT 3.0 or later, helping you work more efficiently with mixed data sources.
XProc
XProc 3.0/3.1 Support
Oxygen now integrates the XML Calabash 3.X engine, enabling validation and
transformation of XProc 3.0/3.1
scripts. The intuitive New File wizard lets you select your preferred XProc version (1.0,
3.0, or 3.1), and a suite of new XProc 3.X samples help to accelerate your onboarding. The
Calabash XProc Engine is now clearly distinguished as XML Calabash 1.X and XML Calabash
3.X for precise version management.
Enhanced XProc Configuration and Extensibility
You can now customize your XProc transformations by specifying a configuration
file and adding extension libraries. For example, you can use a configuration file to
control processor behavior or add external libraries to extend functionality, making it
easier to tailor XProc processing to your needs.
File/Directory Comparison
Focus on Relevant Folders when Comparing Directory Structures
You can now filter directory comparisons to include only subfolders that match
specified patterns in the Compare Directories tool. This helps you focus
on relevant folders when comparing directory structures.
HTML Comparison Reports Show How Comparison Was Done
The comparison report that is generated by the Generate HTML report for
directory comparison tool, now includes a collapsible section with meta
information about how the comparison was performed. This helps you review the options used
in the process and makes it easier to understand the results.
Improved Selection Precision When Copying Differences
You can now see your selections more clearly in the comparison tool, making it
easier to copy exactly the parts you need from a difference.
Display Comment Callouts
Now, you have the possibility to display comment callouts when comparing two
files. Enable the Show comment callouts option (available in the File
Comparison - Appearance preferences page) to see comments from both versions directly in
the comparison view.
Add-on updates
Git Client
A new version of the Git Client was released with the following updates:
- The Git Client now uses JGit version 7.2.1. This update fixes an issue where the Pull operation's progress dialog could remain open indefinitely. You can now complete Pull operations without the dialog getting stuck.
- Integrated various bug fixes.
Terminology Checker
A new version of the Terminology Checker was released with updates that include:
- You can now use a new Fix Terminology Problems action in the AI Positron add-on to automatically identify and correct terminology issues in your current document.
- Terminology checks are now faster, especially when using rules with multiple include or exclude filters.
- If checking a file takes too long, the Terminology Checker will partially check the file so you can still review some results.
- Various bug fixes were implemented.
JSON Schema Validator was Updated to Version 2.1.0
The JSON Schema Validator add-on was updated to version 2.1.0 with the
following improvements:
- Enhanced validation performance.
- Validation improvements for
email,uuid, anddate-timeformats. - Implemented various bug fixes.
Miscellaneous
Avoid Breaking Links in Your Project when Deleting Files
To avoid breaking links or dependencies in your project when you try to delete
files or folders that might be referenced from other resources, you can now enable the
Main Files feature from the Project view. By enabling
this, Oxygen displays a warning dialog listing all links that would be broken, so you can
prevent accidental broken references in your project.
Quickly Add Relative Links
When using the Open/Find Resources dialog box or side view,
you can now right-click a result and select the Insert as Link contextual
action to quickly add a relative link to that resource at your cursor position in the
current document.
Manage Validation Scenarios More Easily
You can now enable or disable custom validation scenarios for the current
document directly from the Validation toolbar drop-down menu. This makes
it easier to control which checks are applied to your content.
Save Validation Error Report
You can now save an HTML report of validation errors detected in the Results view using the new Save Validation Report contextual menu action. The report groups errors by document, provides sortable tables for easier analysis, and includes links to quickly open the validated documents, their associated schemas, and additional information about each detected error (when available).
XSpec Content Completion Improvements
You can now use content completion in XSpec documents to insert XPath
expressions more easily. When you type the $ character inside an XPath
attribute, you see a list of available variable names based on your current context. XPath
attributes are also highlighted with syntax coloring, making them easier to read and edit.
Choose to Apply Schematron Quick Fixes in Bulk Only for Default Fixes
The new option, Restrict Apply All to Quick Fixes Marked as "sqf:default-fix", available in the Schematron Preferences page, helps you avoid applying unintended fixes when using the Apply All action.
Component Updates
macOS 26 (Tahoe)
Oxygen 28 has been fully tested on macOS 26 (Tahoe) and it is now officially
supported.
Downgraded OpenJDK/Temurin JRE to Version 17.0.11
The version of OpenJDK/Temurin JRE that is bundled with the installation kits
for providing the Java Runtime Environment was downgraded to version 17.0.11 (from
17.0.14) due to stability issues with the latter version.
Support for Eclipse 4.36 and 4.37
The Oxygen plugins for Eclipse were updated to fully support Eclipse versions
4.36 and 4.37.
Integrated XML Calabash 3.0.25
XML Calabash 3.0.25 was integrated into Oxygen to offer support for validating
and transforming XProc 3.0/3.1 scripts.
Updated XMLResolver to Version 5.3.3
Updated the XMLResolver library to version 5.3.3.
Updated XSpec Framework to Version 3.3.2
Updated the XSpec framework to version 3.3.2.
Updated TEI Schemas to Version 4.10.2
The TEI XML schemas were updated to version 4.10.2.
Updated TEI Stylesheets to Version 7.59.0
The TEI XSLT Stylesheets were updated to version 7.59.0.
EPUBCheck Updated to Version 5.3.0
Updated the EPUBCheck tool used to validate EPUB resources to version
5.3.0.
Updated CSS Validator to Version 20250226
The CSS Validator has been updated to version 20250226.
Updated JSON Schema Validator to Version 1.14.6
The JSON Schema Validator library from Everit was updated to version
1.14.6.
Updated JSON-Java to Version 20250517
The JSON-Java (org.json) package was updated to version 20250517.
Updated SnakeYAML to Version 2.5
The SnakeYAML library was updated to version 2.5.
Updated Mammoth to Version 1.11.0
The Mammoth library has been updated to version 1.11.0. This library is used
for publishing Word documents that are referenced in DITA maps using the
word-to-dita format and for inserting references to Word documents in
DITA maps or topics.Updated Apache POI to Version 5.4.1
The Apache POI library (used for Excel conversion) has been updated to version
5.4.1.
Updated Apache FOP to Version 2.11
The Apache FOP library was updated to version 2.11.
Updated Apache PDFBox to Version 3.0.3
The Apache PDFBox library was updated to version 3.0.3.
Updated Apache FontBox to Version 3.0.3
The Apache FontBox library (used to render PDF images and to index PDFs
referenced in projects) was updated to version 3.0.3.
Updated Apache Batik to Version 1.19
The Apache Batik library (used for SVG rendering) was updated to version
1.19.
Deprecated/Removed Components
Removed Old SharePoint (User/Password-based) Connection Support
Support for the old SharePoint user/password authentication-based connections
is no longer made available by Microsoft.
Removal of Deprecated Validation and Transformation Engines
The following deprecated validation and transformation engines were removed:
- msxsl (MSXML3.0, MSXML4.0 transformers)
- nxslt (.NET 1.0 transformer)
- nxslt2 (.NET 2.0 transformer)
- dotnetValidator (MSXML.NET validator)
- msValidator (MSXML4.0 validator)
API Additions
Find in Files
The new
ProjectController.findInFiles API allows you to find
precise matched content in the entire scope of your project using the full power of the
Find/Replace in Files functionality. For example, it enables the use of
regular expressions, case sensitivity, XPath filters, and more.Refactor XML Documents
The new
XMLRefactorUtilAccess API allows you to run predefined
XML refactoring operations on multiple XML documents and then to obtain the modified
content. It also allows you to run an XSLT stylesheet as a refactoring operation over
multiple XML documents.Customize Labels in Diff/Merge Tool
New constants have been added to the
ro.sync.diff.merge.api.MergeFilesOptionsConstants interface. These
constants can be used as keys in the
DiffAndMergeTools#openMergeApplication(java.io.File, java.io.File, java.io.File,
java.util.Map) "mergeOptions" map parameter. This allows you to customize
various labels in the merge application's dialog box, such as: - The labels describing the merge states for the compared resources shown in the "description" column.
- The descriptive labels for the left and right difference panels.
- The labels used in the operation summary.
Customize Labels in Diff/Merge Tool's Preview Dialog Box
The
ro.sync.exml.workspace.api.standalone.DiffAndMergeTools.openPreviewDialog(String,
String, String, String, String, LinkedHashMap<URL, URL>) API method has been
updated to include three additional parameters. These new parameters allow you to
customize various labels in the diff tool. For example, you can now change the label for
the action that opens the preview dialog, as well as the labels for the left and right
sides of the comparison panes.Get Associated Transformation Scenario URL
The new
XMLUtilAccess.getAssociatedTransformationScenarioInputURL(URL) API
method can be used to obtain the input URL of the transformation scenario associated to an
XSLT or XQuery document.Get Associated Validation Scenario URL
The new
XMLUtilAccess.getAssociatedValidationScenarioInputURL(URL) API method
helps you find the input URL linked to a specific schema in a validation scenario. When
you provide a URL that points to a schema file (such as XSD, RNG, DTD, or Schematron),
this method searches the validation scenario to identify the associated XML or JSON source
file. It returns the first matching input URL it finds in the scenario.Indent Specific Section in a Document
The new
TextDocumentController.indentSection(int, int) API
method can be used to indent a specified section in a document.Allow Deletion of URL Resources
The new
ro.sync.net.protocol.RemovableURLConnection API
interface can be implemented by a CMS that uses the Oxygen SDK. This allows the deletion
of URL resources through the
ro.sync.exml.workspace.api.Workspace.delete(URL) API.Scripting
HTML Comparison Reports Show How Comparison Was Done
The comparison report that is generated by the Generate HTML report for
directory comparison tool, now includes a collapsible section with meta
information about how the comparison was performed. This helps you review the options used
in the process and makes it easier to understand the results.
Include Folders Filter Added in Compare Directories Script
The Include Folders filter has been added in the Compare
Directories script to limit comparisons to only the folders that match your specified
patterns. This gives you more control over which folders are included when comparing
directory structures.