XML Tool Considerations

Purpose of This Page

This page provides information about two DITA-friendly XML editors:

• XMetal Enterprise from JustSystems
• oXygen Enterprise from SyncRO Soft

Note: I urge you to follow the above links (right-click to open in a new tab or window) and download a trial of each product.

Editions and Platforms

XMetal and oXygen are available in the following editions.

Product	Editions / Platforms
XMetal	Editions: Enterprise Edition only Platforms: Windows only
oXygen	Editions: Author or Enterprise. Enterprise has more full-featured publishing features. For more information about the difference between the editions, see the <oXygen> XML Feature Matrix page. Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Eclipse

Possible Outputs

XMetal and oXygen support the following output types.

Product	Outputs
XMetal	XHTML PDF w/RenderX enhancements PDF w/Anntenna House XSL formatter HTML Help (CHM) Eclipse Help Eclipse Content Docbook RTF TROFF (See the troff.org site)
oXygen	XHTML PDF w/Idiom FO plug-in HTML Help (CHM) Eclipse Help Eclipse Content Docbook RTF TROFF

Note: Some outputs (e.g., RTF) require custom configuration, but both tools make customizing relatively easy to do.

Feature Sets

The following table compares features of both products.

Feature	XMetal	oXygen
Editing window	Provides three views: Normal: WYSIWYG view; similar to MS Word Tags On: Wraps elements in selectable tags; provides a clean view of the document structure Plain Text: Color-coded markup view w/line numbering; not the best view for editing	Provides three views: Text: Color-coded markup view w/line numbering Grid: Shows document structure in a table view; not always intuitive Author: WYSIWYG, similar to MS Word; can be enhanced with a tags-on view oXygen reminds me somewhat of Dreamweaver.
Editing of multiple topics	Has a tabbed interface with tabs on the bottom.	Has a tabbed interface with tabs on the top.
Customized work environment	Allows saving of named workspaces and workspace switching.	Saves whatever configuration you were last using before exiting.
General authoring tools	Spell checking Thesaurus Find and replace Change tracking List management: Easily converts bulleted lists to numbered lists with a button click. Table management: Menu and toolbar Paragraphs: Easy to change types through dialog boxes	Spell checking Find and replace Change tracking List management: Converts bulleted list to numbered list using a Rename command. Table management: Toolbar Paragraphs: Require a little more work to change types; you have to use the pop-up list and drill down to sub-lists.
Working with attributes and elements	Has accessible panels for attributes and elements to the right of the document editing area. You can double-click an attribute or element to insert it. Also includes an Insert menu command. XMetal works by a process of subtraction. It assumes that you will follow a specific structure, so it sometimes adds multiple, nested elements. You can then delete the non-required elements that you don't want.	Has easily accessible panels for attributes and elements to the right of the document editing area. You can double-click an attribute or element to insert it. Also includes a DITA > Insert sub-menu. Panels are the main source for inserting or modifying elements and attributes. Unlike XMetal, oXygen works by a process of addition. You usually get exactly the element that you want to insert and nothing more (unless there's a dependency). This isn't a bad thing, IMO--just different from XMetal.
Metadata	Added using a dialog box.	Added using a pop-up list in the editing window.
Table Editing	Provides a simple dialog box for inserting table types: Normal, Properties, Simple, or Step Choice. Editing in the WYSIWYG view is as simple as table editing in MS Word. You can insert rows above and below, columns to the left and right, etc. The Table Properties dialog box enables you to fine-tune the format at the table, column, row, or cell level.	Provides a right-click menu to access table commands, as well as a toolbar. Table types are CALS or simple. Table editing is not as flexible or intuitive as that of XMetal. For example, I could insert a row below another row but not above. I had to use the Text (raw tags) view to cut and paste a row above another row.
Images	Enables you to apply numerous properties before insertion: alt, description, dimensions, text wrapping, and alignment. A second Properties tab in the dialog box provides additional choices such as revision and status (such as new or changed). When you insert a figure caption, XMetal inserts the fig tag and the necessary p tags.	Provides menu commands (main and right-click) for image insertion, but you have to add image properties afterward. The properties are available on the Attributes panel. Inserting a figure caption requires extra steps. You have to wrap the img tag with the fig tags and then add a p tag after the opening fig tag.
Links	Easy to insert. XMetal automatically assigns a numeric ID to cross-references.	Easy to insert. You have to manually assign IDs.
Change tracking	Simple to use. You can turn Track Changes on and off, make changes, and accept or reject them. Setup options are available in the Options dialog box. This feature is very similar to that of MS Word.	Very similar to XMetal's implementation. The main difference is that you can control option settings at the global level or project level.
Reusable components	Enables you to select content and convert it to a reusable component. XMetal then creates a separate XML file known as a conref (content reference). This file can then be referenced from other files in a DITA project.	Enables you to assign IDs to elements and reference those elements by ID. Unlike XMetal, you cannot select content and create a separate, reusable file. oXygen Support tells me that the capability is planned for a future release.
Indexing	Automatically includes index in PDF output if indexterm elements are included in a file.	Only includes index output when you use a bookmap, as far as I know. I need to confirm this.
DITA map creation and editing	Enables you to easily create and work with DITA maps (similar to tables of contents). GUI: The DITA Map Editor appears in a separate left pane and is mostly menu-driven. It is easy to use. You can also view maps in the main editor window, where you can see their tags. References: You can add references to topics, other maps, and non-XML files (e.g., a Word document). Include/Exclude: Easily done through a dialog box, similar to that used in help authoring tools. Linking relationships: Easy to modify relationships (e.g., source, target, collection-type) through a dialog box. Builds: When you build output for a map or single topic, XMetal shows a progress bar, then asks whether you want to view the output. I would prefer to see the commands, as I can in oXygen.	Enables you to perform most of the same map management tasks as XMetal. GUI: A similar editor appears in the left pane. The toolbar is a bit more cluttered and complex, though once you learn the icons, it's easy to use. References: The only button for inserting references is labeled Insert Topic Reference. This led me to believe that I couldn't insert file or map references, although the destination window (also called Insert Topic Reference) showed all file types, including .doc and .ditamap. I could reference multiple topics/files from this window, whereas in XMetal I could only reference one file at a time. Include/Exclude: Requires more work. You have to set up a new transformation scenario and set filters for exclusion. This is more in line with open source methods, however (DITA Open Toolkit). Linking relationships: Easy to modify relationships (e.g., source, target, collection-type) through right-click commands. Builds: Commands are visible in a tabbed area at the bottom of the window. I prefer this over XMetal's method, because I can see errors that occur. oXygen opens the output automatically. Note: For no obvious reason, a reference to a Word document (file reference) caused the PDF transform to fail. I need to test further to determine why.
Relationship tables	Created using an XML view of the DITA map. Using the Table menu, you insert the relationship table before the closing map tag. The dialog box enables you to provide a table title, predetermine the number of rows and columns, and assign type attributes for the header cells. You can add and manage content using the following methods: Add content by copying and pasting topicrefs from the map to the table cells Nest topics by dragging and dropping Modify linking and collection-type attributes using the Attributes panel.	Created using an XML view of the DITA map. Using the Table menu or Table toolbar, you insert the relationship table before the closing map tag. The dialog box enables you to provide a table title, predetermine the number of rows and columns, and include a header. You then need to modify the header cells to include type attributes. You can add and manage content using the following methods: Add content by copying and pasting topicrefs from the map to the table cells Nest topics by dragging and dropping Modify linking and collection-type attributes using the Attributes panel.

Summary

XMetal Enterprise and oXygen Enterprise are excellent, full-featured authoring and publishing tools. XMetal is a bit more polished and is the better choice for authoring teams who rely more heavily on an interface with extensive shortcuts and automation. oXygen is the better tool for those who want a visual authoring and editing environment but who like to get "under the hood."