Unleash your publishing potential with DITA-OT customization training

Ready to maximize your publishing opportunities? Learn how to customize the DITA-OT in our new course. 

What is the DITA Open Toolkit? 

The DITA Open Toolkit (DITA-OT) is a collection of open-source technologies for publishing DITA XML content in multiple formats. You can customize how the output looks and add publishing pipelines for other delivery formats.

Customizing the DITA-OT course

Customizing the DITA-OT is a new course on LearningDITA.com! In this course, you’ll learn how to customize the DITA-OT through lessons and hands-on exercises. You’ll learn installation and testing basics, explore custom plugin development, work with XSLT templates, extension points, Apache Ant, and more. By the end, you’ll understand best practices for DITA-OT development and be ready to explore on your own.

Prerequisites: understanding of DITA topics, structures, and reuse mechanisms.

Course outline

Module 1: Housekeeping and installation

• DITA-OT prerequisites
• Installing Java
• Installing and testing the DITA-OT
• Supporting programs

Module 2: Introduction to the DITA-OT

• Plugin types
• DITA-OT tools 
• Running the DITA-OT 

Module 3: Introduction to plugins

• Overview of plugin structure 
• Stylesheets
• Templates

Module 4: Walkthrough exercise: XSL templates

• Override templates
• Adding an override template 
• Adding custom CSS

Module 5: XSLT processing

• What is XSLT?
• XSLT processing behavior
• Template types
• Template walkthrough

Module 6: XSLT workflow exercise

• Introduction
• Workflow overview
• Adding a custom footer
• Adding a variable for copyright year

Module 7: Extension points part 1: String files

• Creating a string file
• Creating a string catalog
• Adding an extension point
• Using getVariable
• Debugging the string file

Module 8: Extension points part 2: Parameters

• Introduction to Apache Ant
• Adding an Ant target
• Creating a parameter file
• Adding the parameter extension point
• Catching and using the parameter in XSLT

Pricing & length

• Price: $480 per course license
• Length: approximately 12 hours

Need more support? Try office hours! 

If you’re taking this course, you’re likely diving into the DITA-OT with technical know-how. The DITA-OT is a challenge for even experienced developers. With our office hours, get four hours of real-time access to a DITA-OT expert who can answer your toughest questions, troubleshoot obscure errors, and confirm you’re on the right track.

Start your journey into DITA-OT customization with training today!