Customizing HTML with a .properties file

You can also use a .properties file to reference a set of build parameters when building output with the dita command. The DITA-OT documentation uses a .properties file to include custom CSS, header branding, and table-of-contents navigation in the HTML5 output.

1. Create a .properties file to store the parameter settings for your customization.
   Tip: You can use the .properties for the DITA-OT documentation as a starting point for your own customizations. This file is available in the installation folder under docsrc/samples/properties/docs-build-html5.properties.
   For example:

   # Copy the custom .css file to the output directory:
   args.copycss = yes
   
   # Custom .css file used to style output:
   args.css = dita-ot-doc.css
   
   # Location of the copied .css file relative to the output:
   args.csspath = css
   
   # Directory that contains the custom .css file:
   args.cssroot = resources
   
   # Generate headings for sections within task topics:
   args.gen.task.lbl = YES
   
   # File that contains the running header content:
   args.hdr = ${basedir}/resources/header.xml
   
   # Base name of the Table of Contents file:
   args.html5.toc = toc
   
   # Generate a partial navigation TOC in topic pages:
   nav-toc = partial
   
   # Stop processing if there are any errors:
   processing-mode = strict

2. Reference your .properties file with the dita command when building your output.

   dita --input=my.ditamap --format=html5 --propertyfile=my.properties