Customizing Oxygen frameworks

IXIA CCMS uses Oxygen frameworks to deliver much of the authoring functionality. These frameworks can be extended (i.e. customized) to suit any specific authoring needs by using framework extensions.

Oxygen uses frameworks to create authoring environments. For example, when you create a DITA concept in Oxygen Web Author or Oxygen Eclipse, Oxygen's DITA framework provides the CSS that formats the concept's onscreen appearance and validates the concept against the DITA concept DTD.

Each framework controls a wide range of functionality within the CCMS, allowing for customization of the following:

  • DTDs
  • Toolbars and menus
  • Style and form controls
  • Content completion checking
  • Validation using Schematron

Within CCMS Web, Oxygen Web Author uses the default DITA framework provided by Oxygen. However, because some standalone Oxygen Web Author features are not appropriate for the CCMS, and because the CCMS requires additional functions that are not part of standalone Oxygen, MadCap provides two custom DITA frameworks. Both of these frameworks hide unneeded functions and provide or enhance CCMS-specific ones.

Frameworks in CCMS Web

Within CCMS Web 7.5, there are three primary Oxygen frameworks:

  • dita-ixia: used exclusively for handling topic-related functions within CCMS Web for non Advanced Users
  • dita-ixia-advanced: used exclusively for handling topic-related functions within CCMS Web for Advanced Users
  • ditamap-ixia: used exclusively for handling map--related functions within CCMS Web for Advanced Users

These are the frameworks you are most likely to customize.

There are three additional CCMS Web frameworks:

  • dita-lw-ixia: used for handling Lightweight DITA topics
  • ditamap-lw-ixia: used for handling Lightweight DITA maps
  • ditaval-ixia: used for handling ditavals
Note: These frameworks are used exclusively by CCMS Web. They have no impact on CCMS Desktop. It uses a different framework setup.

Frameworks in CCMS Desktop

Because there is no ongoing development for CCMS Desktop, MadCap Software recommends that you continue to use the standard framework extension on that platform. This documentation focuses on frameworks in CCMS Web.

Framework extensions

When IXIA CCMS is first installed, MadCap Software creates custom framework extensions for each customer in CCMS Web. These framework extensions are required. Customers can modify these frameworks later or download template files provided by MadCap Software to create new framework extensions based on those templates. Customers then upload the new framework extension to CCMS Web.

Important: Never edit framework files directly. Oxygen provides an interface for editing frameworks that helps ensure your changes are valid and correct. Incorrect manual edits can corrupt the framework and cause Oxygen to behave unexpectedly or to fail completely.