Conductor file upgrade

IXIA CCMS Output Generator 7.3 uses a new method to generate output that supports DITA-OT 3.x. The ANT build file method used prior to IXIA CCMS 6.1 is deprecated.

You must upgrade your conductor files for the following reasons:

  • You want to generate output in IXIA CCMS Web 7.3. This applies even if you want to use a 1.x or 2.x version of the DITA-OT.
  • You want to use DITA Open Toolkit (DITA-OT) 3.x
Important: Depending upon your CCMS Output Generator configuration, you might need to make changes to a few configuration files to continue using your 1.x or 2.x version of the DITA-OT. If you are unsure what changes you need to make, contact IXIA CCMS Customer Support to consult about the required changes for your configuration.

Post-6.1 method

Instead of creating a build.xml file, CCMS Output Generator 7.3 now dynamically creates a build.bat file, which calls a build.properties file. You must upgrade your conductor files to use this method because the targets in the conductor files have also changed.

Pre-6.1 method

CCMS Output Generator used to initiate a build with the DITA Open Toolkit (DITA-OT) by using an ANT build file.

Important: If you use a 1.x version of the DITA-OT, you must continue to use this method. CCMS Output Generator 7.3 still supports this method.

The following is a quick overview of the process:

  1. User selection of an output type on the Generate Output screen in IXIA CCMS Desktop.
  2. CCMS Output Generator runs a target in the conductor file, such as the dita2pdfwrapper target in the conductor-ot.xml file. This sets some individual job-specific properties, such as outgen.job.build.filename, outgen.job.build.template.filename, and outgen.job.build.otlog.filename.
  3. The target creates a build.xml file on the fly through multiple antcalls to other targets, and it sets additional general properties in that build file, such as the PDF renderer and ditaval file.
  4. The target updates the build.xml file with additional properties, such as the transtype, args.rellinks, and args.draft. It also includes any user parameters selected on the Generate Output screen.
  5. CCMS Output Generator launches the DITA-OT and passes the build.xml file to the DITA-OT to begin the output process.