Open a topic

Use Open to view a topic as read-only or to continue work on a topic you already locked. If a topic is locked by another user, you can only open it as read-only.

About this task

Topics can be opened from any view in the DITA Perspective. If you open several topics in the XML editor, you can switch from one topic to another by clicking the tab with the topic title.

Depending on your configuration, topics that are unlocked, or that are locked by another user, may open in the Read-only Editor. This feature lets you look at a topic without the risk of inadvertent modifications. The Read-only Editor shows the XML markup as well as the topic's text.

Tip: Use the Preview view if you want to see how a topic in the Read-only Editor actually displays (if, for example, it’s locked by someone else).

If you want to make any changes to a file that is not locked, use Edit to both open and lock the topic at the same time.

This function is available from all views.

To open a topic:

Procedure

Right-click the topic and select Open or double-click it.

You can select several files by holding down CTRL or SHIFT and clicking the documents.

Results

The topic (or topics) opens in your XML editor.