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How to use the editor tools correctly without introducing random effects and diminishing the value of the FX XHTML Updated: 2013-11-10
The editing interface has the standard styling, layout and linking tools required for Online HTML editing which largely creates a familiar word-processor like experience. However users must always be aware that this is an XHTML online editor and as such the behaviour in certain circumstances can be unpredictable or "quirky" and different from desktop Wordprocessors. This is especially true with advanced layout issues.
Tool Classification. This guide provides a classification of each tool within the context of the template driven system. IMPORTANT - you will need this tool frequently and correct use will make your work easier and more consistent. USEFUL - This tool will assist you to define the look and feel you require, or assist your work. CAUTION - using this tool incorrectly may result in unpredictable results, you must learn to use it correctly.
Keymap. Where a tool has a keyboard shortcut this is shown in parenthesis. Eg. (Ctl-B) for adding bold to selected text.
Source. USEFUL-CAUTION. (Ctl-Tab).This allows you to view the XHTML source. You see only the <galley-rw> text, not the entire XHTML page. This is useful for repairs to XHTML if you know what you are doing. If you directly edit in source mode without taking due care you may damage your file. It is highly advisable to click Save & Continue before modifying the source. Any problems can then be undo using the page Revision Management.
Paste as Plain Text. USEFUL. Click on this button and a dialog box will open. Paste your text into the dialog box and click OK. The text will be pasted into your document. Note that depending on the source of your paste action, the text may or may not create correct paragraphs. You may have to join text and use Enter to recreate Normal paragraphs.
Paste from Word. USEFUL-CAUTION. Click on this button and a dialog box will open. Paste your text into the dialog box and click OK. The text will be pasted into your document. Depending on the complexity of the styling on the source content, pasting from Word may introduce unwanted inline styles. This can affect the processing of the document in other formats, including making them invalid when validated. It is generally best to import Word documents using the Manuscript importer. For small fragments paste them to a text editor first to ensure all style residues are removed. Then paste them into the Writer document. It is highly advisable to click Save & Continue before using Cut, Paste from Word, Undo or Redo. This gives you a full recovery position using the Page History Manager.
Undo. USEFUL-CAUTION.(Ctl-Z) This works reliably when the clipboard contains text content, but can have unpredictable behaviour when the clipboard has complex structures such as blocks. Note that on an Undo action the full screen will be refreshed and will flicker. It is highly advisable to click Save & Continue before using Cut, Paste from Word, Undo or Redo. Any problems can then be undo using the Page History Manager.
Redo. USEFUL-CAUTION. (Ctl-Y). This behaves like the Undo tool. Sometimes it will give unexpected results, depending on the previous action. Make sure you observe what happens as you use this operation.
Find. USEFUL. Click Find and enter the text you wish to locate on the page. The tool will locate the term in the forward (downward) direction,
Replace. USEFUL. You can search through the document and replace any character string with what you want. This has a Replace All option and will operate on all specified strings on the page.
Remove Format. IMPORTANT. When you apply inline styles from the interface, such as font color and size, you can instantly remove them by highlighting the text and clicking the Format eraser tool.
Insert Page Break. USEFUL. Only works on print output. From time to time you may need to force a page-break into your document. Position your cursor where you want the page-break to appear. This is usually best in an empty paragraph. Click the button and a Page Break will be inserted. This can be removed by selecting the Page Break marker and using backspace or delete.
Show Blocks. USEFUL. This is a very useful feature for editors concerned with layout if they understand the underlying XML behaviour. Click this icon to outline all major blocks with a dotted line. Click again to remove the block outlines. Note this is an editorial assistant only and does not affect any output.
Bold. USEFUL.(Ctl-B). Select any text and click this button or use the shortcut key to make the text bold.
Italic. USEFUL. (Ctl-I). Select any text and click this button or use the shortcut key to make the text italic.
Underline. USEFUL. (Ctl-U). Select any text and click this button or use the shortcut key to underline the text.
Strike Through. USEFUL. Select any text and click this button or use the shortcut key to make the text strike through.
Sub Script. USEFUL. Select any text and click this button or use the shortcut key to make the text Sub Script.
Super Script. USEFUL. Select any text and click this button or use the shortcut key to make the text Super Script. Note that you must not use this for note and footnote references or unsightly line heights will be generated. Use the Content Blocks inline selectors instead.
Ordered List. IMPORTANT. Select a range of paragraphs. Click Ordered List and the paragraphs will be transformed to a list. To undo, select the list items and click Ordered List again. The styling will be removed. To indent list items select the internal items and click Increase Indent. The list items will create a second level nested structure. To indent mixed bullet and ordered lists, do the indent action first, and the list style change action second.
Bulleted List. IMPORTANT. Select a range of paragraphs. Click Bulleted List and the paragraphs will be transformed to a list. To undo, select the list items and click Bulleted List again. The styling will be removed. To indent list items select the internal items and click Increase Indent. The list items will create a second level nested structure. To indent mixed bullet and ordered lists, do the indent action first, and the list style change action second.
Decrease Indent. IMPORTANT-CAUTION. Decrease Indent reverses an Increase Indent. is very useful to style nested lists, but should be used with extreme caution on general bodytext and other structures. See more information in Increase Indent.
Increase Indent. IMPORTANT-CAUTION. Increase indent is very useful to style nested lists, but should be used with extreme caution on general bodytext and other structures as it introduces an HTML <blockquote> element. This may behave unpredictably in some formats and is also semantically incorrect for most indent text applications. Use para styles for indented text.
Left Align. CAUTION. For standards-compliant XHTML use the Content Block paragraph selectors in preference to this option. Select text and click Left Align. The text will be left aligned, ragged-right. The primary text align property of your document is controlled by the CSS. If you use this element it will over-ride all other styles, and will be transparent in the edit view. This style can be corrected by using other alignments, but once applied all text-alignment statements remain in the XHTML. To remove it completely you will have to use source mode and remove the class statement.
Center Align. USEFUL. For standards-compliant XHTML use the Content Block paragraph selectors in preference to this option. Place the cursor in a paragraph or select text and click Center Align. This will align text to the center of the galley. To remove this alignment immediately after it is applied you an use Undo. This style can be corrected by using other alignments, but once applied all text-alignment statements remain in the XHTML. To remove it completely you will have to use source mode and remove the class statement.
Right Align. USEFUL. For standards-compliant XHTML use the Content Block paragraph selectors in preference to this option. Place the cursor in a paragraph or select text and click Right Align. This will align text right with ragged-left. To remove this alignment immediately after it is applied you an use Undo. This style can be corrected by using other alignments, but once applied all text-alignment statements remain in the XHTML. To remove it completely you will have to use source mode and remove the class statement.
Justify. CAUTION. For standards-compliant XHTML use the Content Block paragraph selectors in preference to this option. Select text and click Justify. The text will be fully justified left and right. Note that the primary text align property of your document is controlled by the CSS. If you use this element it will over-ride all other styles and may have unpredictable results in some or all formats. This style can be corrected by using other alignments, but once applied all text-alignment statements remain in the XHTML. To remove it completely you will have to use source mode and remove the class statement.
Insert/Edit Link. IMPORTANT. Select text and click Insert/Edit Link to apply a hyperlink to the selected text. This is not generally required in an IGP:Digital Publisher document as links are generated automatically where required.
Remove Link. IMPORTANT.Select text that has a link applied and click Remove Link. The link and all information about the link will be immediately removed.
Insert / Edit Anchor. IMPORTANT. You can create a target anchor anywhere in your document. Position your cursor at the point where you want to insert the anchor. Click the icon. A dialog box will open allowing you to assign the anchor name. Make sure this is unique as all targets must be exclusive. Click OK to insert the anchor and close the dialog.
The following operations are only available through the keyboard due to general browser security restrictions.
Cut (Ctl-X) USEFUL. Cuts any selected text from the document. The text is available on the clipboard and can be used with Paste to insert into another location.
Copy (Ctl-C) USEFUL. Copies any selected text from the document. The text is available on the clipboard and can be used with Paste to insert into another location.
Paste (Ctl-V) USEFUL. Inserts any content on the clipboard into the cursor location.
Select All (Ctl-A) USEFUL. Selects the entire document content. This can then be Cut or Copied to the clip board.