DITA Open Toolkit

XHTML processing modules

The DITA-OT ships with several varieties of XHTML output, each of which follows roughly the same path through the processing pipeline. All XHTML-based transformation begin with the same call to the pre-processing module, after which they generate XHTML files and then branch to create the transformation-specific navigation files.

  • Common XHTML processing
    After the pre-processing operation runs, XHTML-based builds each run a common series of Ant targets to generate XHTML file. Navigation may be created before or after this set of common routines.
  • Default XHTML processing
    After the XHTML files are generated by the common routine, the dita.map.xhtml target is called by the xhtml transformation. This target generates a TOC file called index.html, which can be loaded into a frameset.
  • Eclipse help processing
    The eclipsehelp transformation generates XHTML-based output and files that are needing to create an Eclipse Help system plug-in. Once the normal XHTML process has run, the dita.map.eclipse target is used to create a set of control files and navigation files.
  • TocJS processing
    The tocjs transformation was originally created as a plug-in that distributed outside of the toolkit, but it now ships bundled in the default packages. This XHTML-based output type creates a JavaScript based frameset with TOC entries that expand and collapse.
  • HTML Help processing
    The htmlhelp transformation created HTML Help control files. If the build runs on a system that has the HTML Help compiler installed, the control files are compiled into a CHM file.
  • JavaHelp processing
    The javahelp transformation runs several additional Ant targets after the XHTML processing is completed in order to create control files for the JavaHelp output.
Parent topic: Architecture of the DITA Open Toolkit