• 2025

    27.0
    Version 27.0 - November 27, 2024
  • 26.1
    Version 26.1 - March 25, 2024
  • 2024

    26.0
    Version 26.0 - October 11, 2023
  • 25.1
    Version 25.1 - March 16, 2023
  • 2023

    25.0
    Version 25.0 - October 13, 2022
  • 24.1
    Version 24.1 - March 7, 2022
  • 2022

    24.0
    Version 24.1.0 - March 7, 2022
    Version 24.1 - March 7, 2022
    Version 24.0.0 - October 18, 2021
    Version 24.0 - October 18, 2021
  • 23.1
    Version 23.1 - March 4, 2021
  • 2021

    23.0
    Version 23.1.1 - July 12, 2021
    Version 23.1.0 - March 4, 2021
    Version 23.1 - March 4, 2021
    Version 23.0.0 - November 19, 2020
    Version 23.0 - November 19, 2020
  • 22.1
    Version 22.1 - May 19, 2020
  • 22.0
    Version 22.1.0 - May 19, 2020
    Version 22.1 - May 19, 2020
    Version 22.0.0 - February 12, 2020
    Version 22.0 - February 12, 2020
  • 2020

    21.1
    Version 21.1 - May 23, 2019
  • 21.0
    Version 21.1.1 - October 24, 2019
    Version 21.1.0 - May 23, 2019
    Version 21.1 - May 23, 2019
    Version 21.0.0 - February 22, 2019
    Version 21.0 - February 22, 2019
  • 2019

    20.1
    Version 20.1 - June 15, 2018
  • 20.0
    Version 20.1.0 - June 15, 2018
    Version 20.1 - June 15, 2018
    Version 20.0.0 - March 16, 2018
    Version 20.0 - March 16, 2018
  • 2018

  • 19.0
    Version 19.1.0 - September 29, 2017
    Version 19.1 - September 29, 2017
    Version 19.0.0 - April 5, 2017
    Version 19.0 - April 5, 2017
  • 2017

  • 18.0
    Version 18.1.0 - October 18, 2016
    Version 18.1 - October 18, 2016
    Version 18.0.1 - August 9, 2016
    Version 18.0.0 - April 21, 2016
    Version 18.0 - April 21, 2016
  • 2016

  • 17.0
    Version 17.1 - October 20, 2015
    Version 17.0 - May 5, 2015
  • 2015

  • 16.0
    Version 16.1 - October 7, 2014
    Version 16.0 - May 20, 2014
  • 2014

  • 15.0
    Version 15.2 - January 22, 2014
    Version 15.1 - October 7, 2013
    Version 15.0 - June 7, 2013
  • 2013

  • 14.0
    Version 14.2 - February 13, 2013
    Version 14.1 - October 19, 2012
    Version 14.0 - June 27, 2012
  • 2012

  • 13.0
    Version 13.2 - January 12, 2012
    Version 13.1 - October 26, 2011
    Version 13.0 - August 29, 2011
  • 2011

    12.0
    Version 12.2 - May 19, 2011
    Version 12.1 - January 12, 2011
    Version 12.0 - September 14, 2010
  • 2010

  • 11.0
    Version 11.2 - March 16, 2010
    Version 11.1 - December 17, 2009
    Version 11.0 - October 9, 2009
  • 2009

    10.0
    Version 10.3 - June 29, 2009
    Version 10.2 - April 15, 2009
    Version 10.1 - February 25, 2009
    Version 10.0 - October 23, 2008
  • 2008

  • 9.0
    Version 9.3 - July 2, 2008
    Version 9.2 - May 9, 2008
    Version 9.1 - December 18, 2007
    Version 9.0 - November 2, 2007

What's New in Oxygen XML Author 27

November 27, 2024

Oxygen XML Author version 27.0 is the latest major release of the comprehensive solution for content authors, collaborators, and publishers. This release is packed with innovative new features and improvements for the Oxygen AI Positron Assistant, the powerful add-on that provides a productivity-enhancing tool to help writers by providing support for using AI-generated content within the various Oxygen tools.

DITA publishers have new customization possibilities, while content authors can look forward to various small improvements in both the visual editing and text editing modes.

Additionally, the new Apply All Default Quick Fix Proposals tool makes it possible to apply all proposed fixes on multiple resources at once. New features and improvements were also added for HTML, Markdown, and file comparison users.

Some of our popular add-ons were updated such as the Git Client and Terminology Checker. As always, this release also provides various important component updates, API additions, bug fixes, and security enhancements.

There are changes in:

Oxygen AI Positron Assistant

The Oxygen AI Positron Assistant add-on received several version updates (2.0, 2.1, 3.0, and 4.0) in recent months with numerous new features and enhancements added since the Oxygen 26.1 release.

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

Retrieve Project Information to Provide More Context to the AI

When using the AI Positron Assistant add-on with Oxygen versions 26.1 or newer, certain actions (New DITA Topic, Add Structured Content, Generate Documentation Draft) now leverage the Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) process. This output optimization process enhances the AI's responses by using information from the current project opened in the Project view to enrich the AI context for you to receive more meaningful and project-targeted responses.

RAG is also enabled by default for all chat sessions within the AI Positron Assistant. If you wish to configure the various RAG-specific settings, you can access the new Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) preferences page.

AI Positron Fix Leverages Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

Oxygen Feedback-based Retrieval Augmentation

If the Oxygen Feedback product is used to provide search functionality for a web site generated from the DITA XML project, the Feedback search system can be used to retrieve related content of the current indexed DITA XML project. In the Feedback administrator Installation page, the embed HTML information contains a unique token that can be copied and pasted into the AI Positron Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) preferences page in the WebHelp Feedback token field. For more details, see Oxygen AI Positron Assistant - Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).

AI Positron Fix Leverages Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

When using the AI Positron Assistant add-on with Oxygen versions 26.1 or newer, the AI Positron Fix action now leverages the Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) process to enhance the AI's response by using information from the current document, leading to more relevant responses. For more information, see Oxygen AI Positron Assistant - Validation Quick Fixes.

Function Calls

Within the definition of custom actions, you can reference existing functions that are called by the AI engine to interact with the application. This gives actions more context information and allows for more accurate answers to be constructed by the AI. The current available reference values for pre-defined function calls are:
  • add_to_toc - Modifies a DITA map and adds a specified topic reference to it.
  • find_similar_reusable_content - Retrieves a list of reusable DITA XML components that match keywords provided by the AI.
  • get_content_for_document_url - Retrieves the content of a certain document.
  • get_corresponding_dita_keyrefs - Can be used to find if there are key definitions for corresponding values.
  • get_current_document_marked_up_content - Obtains all text with markup from the current document open in the editor.
  • get_current_document_plain_text_content - Obtains all text without markup from the current document open in the editor.
  • get_current_editor-file_location - Retrieves the location (absolute path/URL) of the current file that is open in the editor.
  • get_related_content_from_project - Retrieves content from the user's local project based on given key words. It is limited to return a maximum of 50k characters and works with Oxygen version 26.1 (latest build) or newer.
  • get_related_content_from_webhelp - Returns content from the associated Oxygen Feedback WebHelp system for which a token has been configured in the preferences page.
  • get_related_resources_overview_from_project- Retrieves an overview of a maximum of 5 documents that each contain a URL along with the most relevant information (usually titles, key words, short descriptions).
  • get_text_around_caret - Obtains size-limited content around the current cursor location within the document open in the editor.
  • get_topic_context_in_toc - Returns the hierarchical structure path that references the selected topic from the DITA map that is open in the DITA Maps Manager view, providing context such as its parent, siblings, and surrounding nodes within the DITA map. This is useful for understanding the topic's location in relation to other elements in the DITA map.
  • resolve_dita_key_or_content_reference - Resolves a DITA XML key reference, a content key reference, or a content reference to the target text.
  • save_document(URL,content) - Saves the document at the specified path and writes content to it. If a resource already exists at the specified URL, the content of the document will be overridden with the new content.

For more information about the function calls, see Oxygen AI Positron Assistant - Function Calls.

Intelligent Agents

Intelligent Agents is a category of AI-powered actions designed to streamline DITA XML topic management. These agents offer advanced capabilities to save files, add references to the DITA map, and access functions for contextual understanding and project structure modification.

Expand DITA Topic Draft

The new Expand Draft AI action enhances a draft of a DITA XML topic by refining the content, adding consistent markup, and generating documentation based on referenced images using Vision support. The AI searches for similar content in topics gathered from related links or through Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). This action is available for DITA XML documents.

Split Large DITA Topics

The Split Topic AI action splits large topics with numerous subjects into multiple topic files. The newly created topics are also conveniently referenced in the DITA map that is currently open in the DITA Maps Manager.

Create DITA Topics

The new Create Topics AI action generates DITA XML topics based on user input, incorporating relevant project content. It creates a topic hierarchy, assigns DITA document types, and proposes a DITA map location. Topics are then saved and added upon user approval. The AI searches for similar content in topics gathered from related links or through the Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) process.
Proofread Action

General AI-Powered Actions

Generate Documentation Drafts

A new action called Generate Documentation Draft is available that can be used to create a draft DITA topic. To control the draft generation process, users can specify the context for the new topic, instructions, and images that will be analyzed using the vision support in a dedicated drafting configuration file that gathers all this information. Oxygen provides a customized editing experience in the visual Author editing mode for these draft configuration files so you can easily create such files just by following the instructions from the visual editor.

Update Content of a DITA Topic Based on Referenced Images

A new Update content based on images action can be used to update the content of a DITA XML topic. This action reads the images referenced in the topic and analyzes their content to identify any missing information from the documentation, and suggests an update to the topic content. Furthermore, the action uses the new GPT-4o engine to offer better results.
Update Content of a DITA Topic Based on Referenced Images

Proofread Action

When editing DITA XML documents, a new Proofread AI action is now available (in the Review category) to help you identify potential issues in your content. The AI will proceed to add comments in the content regarding logical consistency problems, grammar or spelling mistakes, or readability and comprehension issues.
Proofread Action

Resolve Comments Action

Another new AI action titled Resolve Comments was added in the Review category that enables the AI to change the selected content based on the suggestions found within comments. It then also removes the comments, saving you time in the cleanup process. The action becomes available when working with DITA XML documents.

Improve Structure Action

A new Improve Structure AI action (in the Rewrite category) can be used when working with DITA XML documents to instruct the AI to improve the selected DITA XML content by adding additional structure or inline elements.
Improve Structure Action

Add Structured Content Action

A new Add Structured Content AI action was implemented to replace the current selection with additional structured content generated based upon similar content from the current project (if available). This helps the AI with context and leads to more accurate and higher quality results.

Generate Image Alternate Text AI Action

When editing DITA XML files, the new Generate Image Alternate Text AI action can be used to generate an alternate text for an image that is selected in the editing area.

Reuse DITA XML Components

A new Component action in the Reuse category asks the AI to identify the most similar existing reusable component that matches the selected paragraph, saving you from searching for the correct reusable component.

Reuse Product Names

The new Product Name AI action (located in the Reuse category) searches for product names in the selected content and replaces them with key references (keyref) if keys are defined for the particular product names. If keys are not defined for specific product names, those names are wrapped in <keyword> elements instead.

AI XML Refactoring Actions

The AI Positron Assistant add-on introduces a new category titled AI in the application's XML Refactoring wizard. This category includes three new XML refactoring actions aimed to improve the efficiency for users working with DITA XML topics: Generate alternate text for images in DITA XML topics, Generate missing short descriptions in DITA XML topics, and Shorten existing short descriptions in DITA XML topics.

Filter the List of Actions

You now have the ability to filter the list of actions to exclude those that you do not use. An option was added in the Oxygen AI Positron Assistant preferences page where you can specify which actions will no longer be presented in the list of available actions.

New Action Types

New action types are now available when implementing custom user-specific actions:
  • prompt-user - Prompts the user for extra details passed to the action prompt.
  • replace-selection-based-on-image-analysis - Uses details obtained from the referenced DITA XML images when performing the action prompt.

Development AI Actions

Explain Code AI Action

The new Explain Code AI action (located in the Development category) can be used to generate an explanation of the code found in the current selection, at the cursor location, or in the whole document. This action is available for XSLT, Schematron, XSD, CSS, XQuery, JSON, and JSON Schema documents.
Explain Code AI Action

Chat About Code AI Action

The Chat about Code AI action (located in the Development category) is now available and enables users to start a conversation with the AI regarding the code found in the current selection, at the cursor location, or in the whole document. Utilizing this feature, users can easily optimize and rewrite code blocks with the help of the AI Positron Assistant, thus enhancing their overall coding experience and efficiency. This action is available for XSLT, Schematron, XSD, CSS, XQuery, JSON, and JSON Schema documents.

Document Code AI Action

The newly introduced Document Code AI action (located in the Development category) can be used to generate the documentation for selected content, the current node, or the entire document. The generated documentation can then be inserted as an XML comment before the documented code. This feature is applicable to XSLT, XSD, and Schematron documents.

Generate Code AI Action

The Generate Code AI action (located in the Development category) allows users to generate code for various editor types (such as XSLT, Schematron, XSD, CSS, XQuery, JSON, and JSON Schema) based on the instruction specified in a selected text from the editor or in a comment preceding the cursor location. It also reuses components found in the current document, making the responses more relevant.

Suggest Refactoring for Selected Code

The new Suggest Refactoring AI action (in the Development category) generates a suggestion for refactoring the selected code to simplify it and make it easier to read and understand. This action is available for XSLT and XSD documents.

Interface Improvements

AI Positron Assistant Widget

For documents that are open in the Author visual editing mode, there is an AI Positron Assistant drop-down widget in the top-right corner of the editor. It offers a very quick and convenient way of accessing useful AI actions to create and improve the structure and content in the current document. The drop-down list can also be accessed while editing by using the Ctrl - Alt - Enter (Windows) or Ctrl - Enter (Mac) keyboard shortcuts. In this case, the drop-down list is displayed in a floating dialog box close to the text cursor location, making the functionality even more efficient.
AI Positron Assistant Widget

In-place AI Prompt Input Field

The AI Positron Assistant drop-down widget contains a helpful Rewrite content action that opens a floating input box close to the text cursor location where you can provide the AI with instructions on how to rewrite the selected content (or the current paragraph if there is no current selection).
New Floating Input Box to Provide Instructions to AI

Regenerate Response

After you receive a response from the AI, you now have the option to ask the AI to regenerate another answer. With OpenAI, you can also decide which engine model to employ when regenerating the response. For more information, see Oxygen AI Positron Assistant - Response Actions.
Regenerate Response

Preview Responses When Using AI Features in Text Mode

When using AI actions while working on your documents in the Text mode, you now have the ability to preview the AI-generated response before inserting the changes in the document.
Preview Responses When Using AI Features in Text Mode

Access Quick Assist Actions From Vertical Stripe Icon

Custom user-defined AI actions can now be configured to appear as Quick Assist fixes in the editor. To access these actions, you simply click the light bulb icon located on the vertical navigation stripe. This feature offers you convenience by providing direct access to frequently used fixes without the need to navigate through menus, and supports customization to better suit your workflow and preferences.
Access Quick Assist Actions From Vertical Stripe Icon

Easily Choose Between AI Models

The AI model used for each particular action or chat session can easily be changed from the convenient drop-down list located in the toolbar of the AI Positron Assistant view. The default model is now GPT-4o, which is an advanced model that provides better results but is more expensive than other models, so it is quite helpful to have a very quick and easy way of changing it for actions that may not require advanced results.

Additionally, the chat panel now specifies which AI model was used for each response.

Easily Change the AI Models

Current Element Highlighted When Applying an AI Action in Text Mode

When utilizing AI actions in Text mode, it is easier to identify the element affected by an AI action. The current element, serving as the context for the action, is highlighted for improved visibility and ease of identification.

AI Models

GPT-4o Model

GPT-4o was added to the list of models to choose from in the Oxygen AI Positron Assistant preferences page and it is also used as the default model if no other is specified. It is OpenAI's most advanced multi-modal (able to accept text or image inputs) model and it is faster and less expensive than the GPT-4 Turbo model.

When utilizing the Oxygen AI Positron Assistant Enterprise add-on, access to the GPT-4o model is possible when connected to the OpenAI platform.

GPT-4o-mini AI Model

The GPT-4o-mini AI model was added to the list of available models. According to the OpenAI documentation, it is the most advanced one in the "small models category" and also the least expensive model. You can choose to use this new model on a case-by-case basis or you can configure the connection settings to make it the default model used for all actions.

GPT-4 Turbo

The GPT-4 Turbo Preview model, which could be used by the AI Positron Assistant with the cloud-based Oxygen AI Positron Service or by the Enterprise add-on when connecting to OpenAI, was replaced with the final GPT-4 Turbo engine release.

Vision Support

With the newly added models, vision support is now available, which means that the AI can now read and interpret images, thus supporting more use cases such as generating a documentation draft by also considering the content of some images or suggesting changes to the content of a topic based on updated images. Images can be easily added to the prompts entered in the Chat window using a dedicated attach action. The vision support is available for both the version that uses the Positron Service, as well as in the Enterprise version of the add-on (if the configured engine has vision support).

Improved Credit Usage Efficiency

The credit system has been updated to enhance cost efficiency. Now, input tokens and output tokens are treated differently when calculating consumed credits, with input tokens being less expensive than output tokens.

Enterprise Edition

Oxygen XML Enterprise Edition Includes Free Access to AI Positron Assistant Enterprise Add-on

An Oxygen XML Enterprise edition license for Oxygen XML Editor, Author, and Developer products now includes access to the Oxygen AI Positron Assistant Enterprise add-on at no extra cost. The subscription license for Oxygen AI Positron Assistant Enterprise add-on remains available for Oxygen Professional, Academic, and Personal edition users that want to use the AI Positron Assistant Enterprise Add-on.

Oxygen AI Positron Assistant Enterprise Connector for Anthropic Claude

The Enterprise version of the Oxygen AI Positron Assistant add-on introduces a new connector for Anthropic Claude, along with the existing connectors for OpenAI and Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, thus allowing users to connect directly to Anthropic Claude as well.

Enhanced Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service Connector Using Microsoft Entra ID Authentication

For the Enterprise version of Oxygen AI Positron Assistant, the Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service connector now supports authentication using Microsoft Entra ID, offering improved security and flexibility. Environment variables can be used for various authentication methods, including service principal and username/password authentication.

Various AI Improvements

Selected Content Sent to AI for Context

When directly initiating a new chat with the AI (without invoking an action), the detected document type and any content selected in the main editor area is automatically passed as context for the conversation. This feature allows you to get responses more tailored for that specific document.

Variables to Obtain Selection with Track Changes Accepted/Rejected

Two new variables may be used when you write prompts: ${selection-original}, which expands to the selected text with all track changes rejected, and ${selection-final}, which expands to the selected text with all track changes accepted. Using these variables, you can provide the AI with both the original and modified text and ask the AI engine to analyze the change. For instance, you can determine if the AI considers that the final version demonstrates improved readability.

AI XPath Functions Updated to Allow Adding a Conversation History

The signatures of the AI XPath functions ai:transform-content and ai:verify-content were modified to allow adding a conversation history when the functions are used. You can add multiple pairs of user-agent data that will be passed to the AI as the history of the conversation. This can be used for more complex actions that need to also set a context for the AI operation.

Intuitive Identification of XML Content in Markdown

An AI response might contain explanations followed by the actual response wrapped in the ```xml marker. This type of response is now detected and the block of XML code can be inserted or previewed.

Markdown Syntax Highlight in Chat Response Area

The content received from the AI engine is presented in the chat response area either with XML syntax highlight or Markdown syntax highlight depending on the response content.

Open Links from Chat Response Area

URL links present in the chat response area can be opened by pressing Ctrl/Command and then mouse clicking on the link.

Security Enhancements

Information regarding favorite prompts, chat history, or AI XPath functions are stored encrypted in the options file. The Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) preferences page has new security-related options to enable reading and writing content in the project or to control if the end user is prompted to allow the use of function calls for particular actions.

DITA Publishing

Open Custom WebHelp Logo URL in a New Tab

It is now possible to control whether clicking the URL for a custom WebHelp logo will open it in the same tab or in a new tab. By default, the link is opened in the same tab as the WebHelp output. This can be configured using the new webhelp.logo.image.target.url.new.tab parameter. By default, the link is opened in the same tab as the WebHelp output.

Display Certain Elements as Tabs

For WebHelp output, it is possible to display certain elements as tabs by using the outputclass="wh-tabbed" attribute. This works for lists (<ol>, <ul>), definition lists (<dl>), and choice table (<choicetable>) elements.

Open WebHelp and PDF Produced by DITA OT Project

By default, when running DITA OT Project transformations from the application, the generated WebHelp and PDF outputs are now opened in the proper associated system application.

Set Path to Antenna House Option Setting File

When using the Antenna House Formatter in the DITA Map PDF - based on HTML5 & CSS transformation scenario, a new parameter (antenna-house.option.setting.file) makes it possible to set the path to the Antenna House Option Setting File directly in the transformation scenario configuration dialog box.

Support for PDF Signing

It is now possible to sign your PDFs using a keystore file and the new chemistry.sign parameters in the DITA Map PDF - based on HTML5 & CSS transformation scenario.

Visual Editing

Spell Check in Text Form Controls

The text field, text area, and combo box form controls can now be configured with a new spell-check CSS property to enable automatic spell checking inside them.

Table Column Information Presented in Location Tooltip

When moving the cursor inside a table cell, the contextual location tooltip now also presents the name of the column where the cell is placed. This feature is especially useful when editing long tables.

Text Mode

Toggle Comment Action Available for Non-XML Document Types

The Toggle Comment action encloses the currently selected content in a comment that is ignored by the parser or removes an existing comment. This action is now available for all document types that support comments. For example, toggling comments is now possible in RNC, SQL, Batch, Java, JavaScript, C, C++, PHP, and PowerShell documents.

HTML/XHTML

HTML Schemas Updated

The schemas that are used for validation and content completion in HTML and XHTML documents was updated to support the latest content model for the <hgroup> element. For example, <h1> through <h6> and <p> child elements are now allowed within <hgroup> elements in the updated schemas.

Quick Fixes

Apply All Default Quick Fix Proposals

The quick fix support is now automated through the Apply all default quick fix proposals tool, making it possible to apply all proposed quick fixes on one or more resources at once. It applies quick fix proposals for all reported validation errors in a specified scope. All the quick fix proposals are automatically executed in bulk, one after the other. If multiple quick fixes are proposed for the same validation error, only the first one is executed for that particular error.

The action that invokes the tool is available for a single document in the contextual menu in both Text and Author modes, and for one or more documents in the Tools menu or the Refactoring submenu when right-clicking one or more resources in the Project view or DITA Maps Manager. The action is also available in the Quick Fix menu for even easier access. In addition, a customized version of the tool is also available in the Results view (in the contextual menu of the table that displays the results of a single file or batch validation operation).

Collect Default Quick Fixes

The sqf:default-fix attribute from the Schematron Quick Fix specification is now collected and used by the Apply all default quick fix proposals action. The action will automatically apply all default quick fixes defined the Schematron file.

Markdown

Convert Embedded Latex Equations

Latex equations that are embedded in Markdown content are preserved as <foreign> elements in the DITA preview pane and when publishing Markdown content referenced in a DITA map. Furthermore, with the help of additional plugins, the Latex content can be rendered as an equation in the DITA preview pane and the published content.

Various Syntax Highlight Related Improvements

Some of the syntax highlight colors for Markdown were changed for better readability. Markdown code blocks that contain XML, XSLT, XML Schema, or DTD content now display specific syntax highlights for the particular language, making the code more distinguishable and recognizable.

File Comparison

Ignore Nodes by XPath Option Supported in Directory Comparisons

The Ignore Nodes by XPath option, and the XPath expression provided for this purpose, in the File Comparison preferences page are now taken into account when comparing directories by invoking the tool. The option is also accessible via the Directory Compare tool.
Ignore Nodes by XPath Option Supported in Directory Comparisons

Add-ons

Oxygen offers a range of add-ons that can be utilized to expand its functionality.

Git Client Improvements

Various improvements were made to the Git Client add-on:
  • A new button was added above the commit message area to create an AI-generated commit message using the Oxygen AI Positron Assistant.
  • It is now possible to sign commits using GPG keys.
  • If there are unpulled changes detected when creating a new branch, a confirmation dialog box is displayed where you can choose whether or not to pull the changes before processing the branch creation.
  • If you attempt to merge a branch into the current one and unpulled changes are detected on the branch being merged, a warning message will appear. This allows you to bring that branch up-to-date first (by performing a pull) and then the merge is automatically retried.
  • Local branches that are linked to remote branches that no longer exist are now detected and reported.
  • You can now pull changes from a remote branch other than the one being tracked.
  • When performing tasks such as switching or merging branches, restarting a merge, and many others, the progress of the operation is now shown when it takes more than two seconds to complete.
  • When comparing two revisions or opening the compare editor to resolve merge or rebase conflicts, the comparison tool now provides more detailed information about the commits involved.
  • The JGit component was updated to version 7.0.0.
  • Updated the minimum required version of Oxygen to 26.1.
  • Fixed various bugs.

Oxygen Feedback Connector

The Oxygen Feedback Connector add-on can now be used with topics opened from Content Management Systems (CMS) or other remote storage systems.

Terminology Checker

The Terminology Checker add-on received the following updates:
  • Various security/component updates were implemented.
  • The end user is now allowed to avoid showing the choice to remove matched terms that did not have any proposed suggestions.

Scripting

The All Platforms distribution of Oxygen is bundled with a scripts sub-folder that contains scripts for automating and running various utilities from a command line interface. To run any of these scripts, you need to purchase a scripting license.

XPath Expressions to Exclude Nodes Now Supported in Compare Directories Script

A previous limitation was solved for the Compare Directories command-line script making it now possible to use the -enx XPathExprToExcludeNodes argument. It allows you to specify an XPath expression that will exclude certain nodes from the comparison. This option can now be used without any limitation, regardless of the format chosen for the comparison report.

More Flexibility in Compare Directories Script

More flexibility was added in the Compare Directories command-line script in regard to the handling of certain cases as requested by users with the addition of two new options. The -a dirPathAlias argument can be used to specify an alias for the directory path that will be displayed in the HTML-formatted operation report instead of a long directory path. The -sl suppressLinks argument can be set to true to suppress links to the compared directories and files that are displayed in the HTML operation report.

Miscellaneous

Batch Operations Performed in the Background

Various batch operations (Spell check in Files, Find in files, Validate and check for completeness, Search References, Project Selected Resources Validation) are now performed in the background with the progress displayed in the status bar instead of blocking the entire application with a modal progress dialog box while the operation is processing.

Performance Improved for Validation Operations

The performance of validation operations on large file sets was significantly improved. These improvements are most noticeable when invoking a validation operation either from the Project view or from the command line via a validation script.

Performance Improved For DocBook Editing

The performance speed was improved when editing attributes in DocBook XML documents that contain lots of links.

Results Ranking Improved for Open/Find Resources Feature

For DITA XML documents, the order of results displayed in the Open/Find Resources dialog box is determined by the element context in which the searched words are found. For example, if documents contain the particular searched words within <title>, <keyword>, <shortdesc>, or <uicontrol> elements, their ranking will be higher than for documents where the particular searched words are only found within plain paragraph text.

Find and Invoke Framework Actions

Oxygen includes a Find Action feature (located in the Find menu) that provides a quick way to find actions that are available throughout the application. When editing in the Author visual mode, this feature can now be used to locate and invoke custom actions that are defined within a framework customization.

Plugin Security Improvements

If a loaded plugin delays the startup of the application for more than 15 seconds, the plugin will continue to be loaded on a thread and the startup will continue. This helps to reduce possible hangups since the application will continue loading without waiting for the plugin to fully initialize.

Component Updates

OpenJDK 17.0.13

The version of OpenJDK that is bundled with the installation kits for providing the Java Runtime Environment was updated to version 17.0.13 from Eclipse Adoptium.

macOS 15 (Sequoia)

Oxygen 27.0 has been fully tested on macOS 15 (Sequoia) and it is now officially supported.

Updated US English Spell Checking Library

Updated the bundled spell checker dictionary used for US English to contain more recently added words.

Eclipse 4.33

The Eclipse plugin was updated to fully support Eclipse 4.33.

Apache Batik 1.18

Updated the Apache Batik library to version 1.18.

Apache FOP 2.10

Updated the Apache FOP library to version 2.10.

Apache Lucene Indexer 9.11.1

Updated the Apache Lucene Indexer libraries to version 9.11.1.

Apache HTTP Client 4.5.14

Updated the Apache HTTP Client libraries to version 4.5.14.

Apache Sanctuario 4.0.2

Updated the Apache Sanctuario libraries to version 4.0.2.

DITA-OT 4.2.3

Updated the embedded DITA-OT to version 4.2.3.

DOMPurify 2.5.6

Updated the DOMPurify library to version 2.5.6.

TEI Schemas 4.8.1

Updated the bundled TEI schemas to version 4.8.1.

TEI Stylesheets 7.57.1

Updated the bundled TEI XSLT stylesheets to version 7.57.1.

XSpec 3.1.2

Updated the XSpec framework to version 3.1.2.

Deprecated/Removed Components

FTP Support Removed

Support for the insecure File Transfer Protocol (FTP) was removed.

Kerberos Authentication Deprecated

Support for authentication using the Kerberos protocol was deprecated and will be removed in a future version.

DocBook to WebHelp Classic Transformation Removed

The DocBook to WebHelp Classic transformation scenario is no longer supported and has been removed from the application.

Security

ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Certification

Syncro Soft, the company that develops the Oxygen XML suite of products, has earned the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification, demonstrating a strong commitment to implementing top-tier information security practices and ensuring that the users' data is protected to the highest standards.

New Privacy Options

The privacy section of the application installer allows disabling the support to install all add-ons or Oxygen AI-specific add-ons. These settings can also be set when the installer is running in unattended mode.

API Additions

Create Radio Button and Checkbox Menu Item

Two new methods were added to the OxygenUIComponentsFactory API. The createRadioMenuItem(Action) method can be used to create a radio button component, while the createCheckBoxMenuItem(Action) method can be used to create a checkbox menu item.

Create Lightweight Author Preview Component

A new StandalonePluginWorkspace.createAuthorPreviewComponentProvider() API was added to create a simple read-only preview component based on the Author visual editor that can be used to render XML documents visually (for example, in a side view).

Search in Project

A new ProjectIndexer.search(String, int) API method was added that allows searching for keywords in the current indexed project to retrieve documents that contain the keywords.

Obtain XPath for Element at Certain Location

A new WSXMLTextEditorPage.getXPath(int, boolean) API method was added that can be used to obtain the XPath expression for an element at a certain location in the XML text editor.

Access the Current Editor Components

A new ro.sync.exml.workspace.api.componentscollector.IComponentsProvider.getAllComponents(URL) method was added for obtaining the global components from the current editor. It can be obtained from the PluginWorkspace.getComponentProvider() API.

Provide Information About XSLT Components

A new ro.sync.exml.workspace.api.componentscollector.IXSLComponentInfo API adds two methods (getMatch and getMode) for providing more accurate information about XSLT components.

Get XML Structure as DTD

A new XMLUtilAccess.getXMLStructureAsDTD API method was added to get the structure of the specified XML document as a DTD.

Provide Reader for Validating Resources

A new ValidationUtilAccess.validateResources API method was added to provide a reader for validation problems.

What's New in
Oxygen XML Author 27.0

November 27, 2024

Oxygen XML Author version 27.0 is the latest major release of the ultimate toolkit for content authors, collaborators, and publishers. This release is packed with innovative new features and improvements for the Oxygen AI Positron Assistant, the powerful add-on that provides a productivity-enhancing tool to help writers by providing support for using AI-generated content within the various Oxygen tools.

Learn more

What's New in
Oxygen XML Web Author 27.0.0

November 27, 2024

Oxygen XML Web Author version 27.0.0 is the latest major release of the innovative web-based XML authoring tool. This release is packed with innovative new AI features and improvements that have been implemented in recent updates to the Oxygen AI Positron Assistant Enterprise for Web Author plugin, the powerful productivity-enhancing tool that provides you with the ability to use a specific AI engine (OpenAI, Microsoft Azure OpenAI, or Anthropic Claude) and assist in leveraging AI-generated content. Additionally, this release sees the implementation of new features for the file comparison and merge tool, support to make DITA maps editable in a specialized tree editor, various general editing improvements, and security enhancements.

Learn more